The Scholar and The Huntress
by BroomballKraken
Summary: He was a scholar from the flatlands, and she was a huntress from the woodlands. Two very different people brought together by chance and personal journeys, who would surprisingly come together as companions, friends, and maybe something more.
1. Chance Encounter

You all thought Alfyn/Primrose was a rare pair! Well here I am, one-upping myself in the obscure pair department with this doozy. I'm a sucker for a good opposites attract pairing, and boy do these two count as that. Also I'm a dumbass for starting two chapter fics at the same time so uhhhh, hopefully my short attention span having ass will be able to update both at least semi frequently . Also, also, if you couldn't already tell, I'm piss poor at being creative with titles (and my summaries are atrocious) Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy the fic!

* * *

"Wow! This place is amazing! Look how cool the academy is!"

H'aanit cracked a smile at the raw enthusiasm radiating off of Tressa as the younger woman spun around, eyes wide with wonder as she took in the sights of Atlasdam. They had stopped here to restock on supplies, and the group of travelers decided to take some time to relax and do some sight-seeing. Alfyn had gone off to find a merchant who sold ingredients for his various medicines, and Primrose had decided to accompany him. Therion had wandered off on his own, and H'aanit tried not to think about what kind of questionable activities he was getting up to.

"Indeed. I've heard that many scholars travel here to study. The collection of books in their library is supposedly unmatched." Olberic, their newest companion, responded as he nodded at Tressa. The seasoned warrior was mostly stoic, but was also easy going and had already bonded well with the rest of the group. H'aanit felt safer traversing the wilds with him along for the journey.

H'aanit's attention was pulled to her side as she noticed Linde jerk her head up and stare at the crowd of people in front of them. She stared silently ahead for a few moments before she suddenly took off running.

"Linde!" H'aanit called after her, quickly giving chase to her feline partner. It was not like her to just run off like that, so she must have had a good reason for her actions. H'aanit lost sight of her for a moment as the crowds of people parted to let the snow leopard pass by, and when she saw her again, she was stopped in front of a man.

"Oh? What's this then?"

H'aanit stopped, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she watched Linde purr as she rubbed against this random man's legs. Her gaze moved up from her partner to the stranger. He was tall, adorned in robes, and holding a book, and H'aanit wondered if he was one of the scholars prevalent in this city. She looked back down at Linde and frowned.

"Silly leopard. What hast gotten into thee?" H'aanit said, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared her partner down. Linde purred before rubbing against the mans legs again. He watched her and chuckled.

"My, my. It appears that your friend here has taken a liking to me." he said, smiling as he looked at H'aanit.

"It seems so. It is most curious. She doest not normally seek out strangers so." H'aanit mumbled as she eyed the man curiously. He seemed like an ordinary man, so she was perplexed at Linde's strange behavior. "I apologize for her behavior."

"It is no trouble at all." he said as he reached down slowly to pet the snow leopard's head. Linde let out a pleased growl as she nuzzled his hand, and an amused smile crossed H'aanit's face.

"Ah, but how rude of me! I should introduce myself. My name is Cyrus." the man said, extending a hand towards H'aanit.

"I am H'aanit." she said as she took his hand and shook it firmly. "And this is my companion, Linde." Linde meowed in approval and returned to H'aanit's side, sitting down as she watched Cyrus.

"It is nice to meet you both. But I'm afraid I have a serious matter to attend to." Cyrus said, a frown crossing his face. H'aanit saw a troubled look appear in his eyes, and she could not fight off the urge to offer assistance.

"Doest thou need help? I haveth some other companions that could assist as well if needeth be." she said. Linde purred in approval.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to drag you into this mess. It might get...violent." Cyrus said, shaking his head. He eyed the bow on H'aanit's back and a thoughtful look crossed his face.

"Although, judging by that bow on your back, you must have combat experience. If you are offering, the backup would be nice if things did go sour." Cyrus said. H'aanit nodded and sent Linde off to find Tressa and Olberic. She returned shortly with the two in tow, and the three listened as Cyrus told them of his predicament. A book had been stolen from the Royal Archive and he had figured out who the culprit was. All that was left to do was to confront them, and H'aanit knew now why he was worried that his task would not end peacefully.

"...And so I have taken it upon myself to investigate this suspicious scholar." Cyrus said to conclude his tale.

"Oooh, sounds exciting! I'm in!" Tressa said, beaming as she looked at he other two companions. Olberic laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. I will lend my blade to you." he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Splendid! I cannot thank you all enough for offering your aid." Cyrus said. He turned and pointed to a rather sketchy looking hole in the wall, under the staircase leading up to the academy. "Let's get right to business then. No doubt we'll find Russel in his laboratory down below." Cyrus took the lead as H'aanit, Tressa, Olberic, and Linde followed closely, and they were confident that they could win if they worked together.

They were right, fortunately, and Cyrus was able to take the rouge scholar into custody. He bid H'aanit and the others farewell as he went to take care of the aftermath and to return the stolen book. Noting how late in the day it was, the trio agreed that staying the night at the inn would be their best option, so they stopped by and grabbed a couple rooms before heading to the tavern to regroup with the others.

"Well shucks! It sounds like you guys had an exciting day! Kinda wish I would have been there too." Alfyn said with a laugh before taking a swig of his ale. Tressa had just finished excitedly recapping their adventure to Alfyn, Primrose, and Therion, while Olberic and H'aanit interjected at time to add their own thoughts.

"Yeah! I'm glad we were able to help Cyrus out! I hope he was able to return that book without any issues." Tressa said. H'aanit nodded in agreement as she finished off her mug of ale, and she excused herself from the table, heading to the bar to get another drink. It had indeed been an eventful day, and she couldn't keep her thoughts from straying back to Cyrus. She admired his commitment to truth and justice, and she hoped that his future endeavors would go well.

"Ah, most fortuitous! I had hoped to catch you before you left town!"

H'aanit's eyes widened as she turned to find Cyrus standing next to her at the bar, as if on cue, smiling brightly at her. She returned his smile with a small one of her own and nodded.

"Yes, we meeteth again it seems. How goeth the rest of your task?" she asked, as she waved down the bartender, who offered her two mugs of ale. She offered one to Cyrus, who quickly accepted.

"Thank you kindly. I'm afraid the events that transpired after we parted ways give me plenty of reason to want to drink my sorrows away." he said, frowning as he sighed deeply.

"Prayeth let us rejoin my friends, and you can telleth us of your troubles if you wish." she said as she made her way back to their table with the scholar in tow.

"Cyrus! Good to see you again." Olberic said, lifting his mug as Cyrus and H'aanit approached.

"Oh, hey! How's it going?" Tressa chimed in happily, "Did you get that book returned and all that?" Cyrus sighed in response to her question as she sat down next to H'aanit. Linde immediately looked up from her place under her partner's chair and meowed happily when she saw Cyrus, and she wiggled out from under the chair so that she could nuzzle against his legs. H'aanit chuckled as Cyrus was pulled from his dour mood for a moment, laughing as he reached down to pet Linde gently.

"Well, yes Tressa. But unfortunately that wasn't the end of my eventful day." he said, looking back up at the six faces looking at him curiously as he told them what had happened.

"Well shucks, you sure do attract trouble, don't you?" Alfyn said with a chuckle.

"Yes, it appears that way." Cyrus said as he shrugged his shoulders. "But, as I need to embark on a journey to find this missing book anyway, I guess this rumor is a blessing as well as a curse."

"Well, why doesn't thou join us, then?" H'aanit asked. He was a very smart man, as well as being gifted in magical combat, so she knew that he would not be a hindrance to them. Rather, H'aanit concluded that traversing the wilds would be much easier with him around.

"Ah, I was hoping you would ask! I did not want to seem pushy by asking myself if I could join you." Cyrus said with a laugh. "I would be honored to travel with such a grand group of people as you all."

"Haha! Good, the more the merrier!" Olberic said, clinking his mug against Cyrus's before downing the contents. "Let's celebrate our new comrade with another round of drinks!"

The rest of the table cheered in agreement as another round of ale was fetched, and Cyrus turned to H'aanit as he handed her a full mug.

"I would like to thank you again for all of your help today, H'aanit. I am most looking forward to traveling with you all." he said, holding his mug out to her. Her eyes met his and she smiled, clinking her mug against his.

"Likewise, Cyrus. Linde here will enjoyest your company, I feel." H'aanit said, smiling as the snow leopard purred as she rested her head on Cyrus's feet. "I am still most curious about how much she seemeth to like you. She hast never acted this way before."

Cyrus scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I do seem to have a way with cats. The strays of Atlasdam started to follow me around one day, and so I started feeding them every night. Now I seem to run into cats everywhere I turn. Maybe Linde here can sense how well I have treated her fellow felines." He laughed again as Linde yawned and swished her tail back and forth, and H'aanit could tell that she liked the attention.

"That must be it. She is a smart girl. She sees how good of a person you are. As do I." H'aanit said. He stared at her for a moment with wide eyes, as if perplexed by her words. It was the truth. H'aanit saw how he rushed into danger for the greater good, not thinking about his own well being. She liked that about him.

"Well, I am flattered that you already think so highly of me. I also think that you are rather upstanding yourself. Anyone who is willing to help a complete stranger in need is indeed someone pure of heart." he said. She found herself blushing at the statement; she was not accustomed to receiving this kind of praise.

"And if I may be so bold as to say, you wield a bow with a mastery that I have not seen before. You are truly a force to be reckoned with. I am fortunate to have met you when I did." he continued, smiling as his eyes met hers. H'aanit was in the middle of taking a drink and she almost choked on it. He was really laying it on thick with the praise, and she was feeling embarrassed by it. He heart was racing and she found herself unable to meet his gaze.

"Ah, yes, well, I thanketh thee...for the praise." she said awkwardly as she took a long drink of her ale to distract herself. Cyrus looked like he wanted to say more, but H'aanit caught a break when Olberic grabbed his attention by asking some questions. She sighed in relief, and caught Primrose's eye across the table, and the dancer raised an eyebrow at the huntress curiously. She just shrugged and turned her attention to Tressa who wanted to discuss the big fight of the day, and she was able to push the scholar from her thoughts, at least for a little while. The night went on and H'aanit enjoyed the camaraderie, and she was excited to see where this journey would take them next.


	2. Laughter

H'aanit would never tire of the feeling of a bowstring between her fingers. Her eyes were locked on the makeshift target that she had carved into the side of a tree across the forest clearing. She took in a deep breath as she pulled back on the bowstring with ease after many years of gaining the upper arm strength required to do so. She slowly let out the breath that she was holding and when the air had emptied from her lungs, she relinquished her hold on the string and watched the arrow fly across the field. It pierced the wood exactly where she wanted it too: right in the center of the bullseye.

A small smile formed on H'aanit's face as she nocked another arrow. She was glad that the rest of her companions had agreed to make camp early, for it gave her some time to make sure that her bow skills were kept sharp. Fighting off beast after beast in the wilds was practice in its own way, but it did not give her much time to work on the details of her form. She let the second arrow loose and watched as it buried itself into the wood right next to the first.

"How magnificent!"

Her huntress reflexes acted quickly as the voice startled H'aanit into quickly readying an arrow. She spun in the direction of the voice with the tip of the arrow pointing at her potential attacker. Fortunately, it was just Cyrus, and she quickly lowered her bow when she saw him with his hands raised in front of him and his eyes wide with shock.

"Ah, my apologies for startling you, H'aanit. Thank you for not shooting me." Cyrus said as he lowed his hands, and she noticed that he was holding a quill in one hand and a notebook in the other.

"I offer my apologies as well. 'Twas not my intent to pointeth my weapon at a friend." she said, shaking her head. "I thought that Linde would hath alerted me to your presence." She looked over to where her animal companion was laying by a tree, and found that she was sleeping quietly. Ah, that explained things.

"I have no doubt that your leopard friend would have let you know I was here, had she been awake." Cyrus said with a chuckle.

"Indeed. Prayeth tell what thou is doing here? Hast the camp been set up already?" H'aanit asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Oh, yes. Everything is unpacked and ready for the night ahead. I sought you out to ask if I could observe your training, but I was so transfixed at your masterful archery that I forgot to announce my arrival." he said, smiling brightly, "I want to study the combat techniques of each member of our diverse group, with hopes of finding ways to improve our teamwork during battles. There is only so much you can learn from books, so I wanted to make my own first hand observations."

"And I am oh so happy that I did! Seeing a master huntress like yourself working so hard to improve on your already impressive skills is truly wonderful! It inspires me to want to work hard to improve on my own skills." he continued, and his heavy praise caused H'aanit to blush with embarrassment.

She had never met anyone like Cyrus before. He was incredibly smart and charismatic, and seemed to always say what was exactly on his mind. He did not hold back when it came to expressing his admiration of hers – and their other companion's – differing strengths, and he was always honest and sincere with his assessments. H'aanit was not used to being complemented so much, but she found that she didn't mind the nice, warm feeling that it left her with.

"I appreciate the words of praise. Thou is a force to be reckoned with as well. Thine magical prowess is impressive." she said. It was Cyrus' turn to blush in embarrassment, and H'aanit chuckled.

Bringing hand to his face, he cleared his throat to try and distract from the redness that had risen on his cheeks. "Ah, well, thank you! It means a lot to have my skills acknowledged by you, H'aanit. Now then, may I stay and observe your training? I do not wish to be a bother." he asked. H'aanit nodded in response, and as he took a seat and readied his quill to take notes, the huntress resumed her target practice. She glanced in his direction every so often to find him either watching her intently or writing furiously in his notebook. After about a half an hour went by, H'aanit lowered her bow and waited for Cyrus to finish what he was writing. When he was done, he looked back up and met her gaze, and a confused look crossed his face.

"Oh? Are you finished, H'aanit?" he asked, a note of disappointment in his voice as he closed his notebook.

"Indeed. But, before I wrapen up my training, I wanted to asketh if thou wanted to try thine hand at taking a shot with my bow?" she asked, and she laughed as he excitedly scrambled to his feet.

"Why, yes, of course! I would be honored to give it a try! First hand experience is certainly the best way to learn, after all!" Cyrus said, enthusiasm practically radiating off of him as he quickly hurried to H'aanit's side. She handed him her bow and explained how to properly hold it, and he was soon holding it in a shooting position.

"Placeth the arrow here," she said, pointing to the proper placement, and he nodded while doing so, "Now, pull the bowstring back to thine cheek." He gripped the string and moved to pull it, but he did not make it far before he let go, his eyes wide.

"My, this is harder than it looks! You really must have some incredible upper body strength, H'aanit. You made it look so easy." he said, turning his head to meet her gaze. Her face grew hot again as she quickly looked away.

"Yes, well, I have had many years of training to build up my strength. 'Tis not that great of an achievement." she said with a shrug.

"You are far to modest, my dear. You are an incredibly strong and talented woman. You can certainly take some pride in that." he said, gazing at her with an eyebrow raised.

"R-right." H'aanit stammered. She was not sure how to react to that statement, so she quickly positioned herself behind Cyrus to hide the embarrassed look on her face. She reached around him and placed her hands over his, pulling gently at his them until they were in the proper positions.

"I can helpen thee pull back the bowstring." she said. He nodded and she did so, pulling at his hand until it reached his cheek. "Good. I will leten go now."

"Are you sure that's wise? It was rather hard for me to pull earlier-" Cyrus started, but H'aanit had already removed her hand from his. He was not ready for that, and he stumbled forward a bit, arrow pointing at the ground. His fingers then slipped off of the string, and the arrow embedded itself in the ground at his feet, while his hand recoiled and his knuckles smacked hard into his face. He yelped in pain and covered his face with his hands.

"Ist thou alright?" H'aanit said, eyes widening as she placed a hand on Cyrus' shoulder while the other cupped his cheek. He removed his hands slowly and she winced. A large bump had begun to form on his forehead. Cyrus watched her as she carefully brought a hand up and brushed the bump, and he cringed in pain.

"Ah, I think I'll be fine. It's a small bump. But, gods! How very clumsy of me!" Cyrus said as his eyes met H'aanit's. He stared at her for a moment before suddenly bursting into a fit of laughter. H'aanit blinked and then smiled, before her own laughter joined his. Cyrus was an incredibly intelligent and charismatic man, but seeing this clumsy side of him surprised her. His laughter was also apparently infectious, as she could not contain it until he had stopped, gasping for breath.

"I must say, it is good to laugh at oneself every once in a while." Cyrus finally said once he composed himself, "Takes the edge off of the embarrassing thing I just did."

"Indeed." H'aanit said, letting another chuckle escape her. She turned to look at Cyrus again, and found that he was staring at her. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "Ist there something on my face?"

"Oh! My apologies! How rude of me to stare. It's just..." he started, pausing to retrieve H'aanit's dropped bow from the ground. "I would gladly embarrass myself in front of you again, H'aanit, because you have one of the most beautiful laughs that I have ever heard."

H'aanit stared at him for a moment, and she felt her face grow incredibly warm as she averted her gaze. She didn't know how to respond, and even if she did, it felt like a lump had formed in her throat so she did not know if she was capable of saying anything at the moment. What was this that she was feeling? It seemed deeper than just embarrassment. It was a foreign feeling and she was confused that she didn't have a word for it.

A loud growl saved her from having to explain her reaction as Linde suddenly appeared between H'aanit and Cyrus, and she purred happily as she rubbed against each of their legs.

"Hello, Linde! I hope that our little laughing session did not wake you!" Cyrus said, laughing again as he reached down to pet her. She purred again and rubbed her head against his hand. H'aanit sighed in relief, glad that her partner had interjected when she did.

"We should head back to the camp. 'Tis almost time for dinner, methinks." she said, her gaze shifting to the slowly darkening sky.

"Ah, good idea." Cyrus said as he handed H'aanit her bow. "I also think it would be wise to have Alfyn examine this bump for me." She nodded in agreement as she took her bow, and then retrieved her scattered practice arrows. They headed back to camp together, engaging in small talk, and H'aanit decided that she enjoyed spending time with the charismatic scholar, and she was very glad that she had decided to help him out on that fateful day in Atlasdam.


	3. Of Direwolves, Petrification and Comfort

They had finally made it to Stoneguard, a village in the Highlands, where H'aanit would hopefully find a clue to the whereabouts of Z'aanta. The last and only letter he had sent her was clutched in her hands, and she was at a loss on where to start looking.

"Don't worry, H'aanit! I'm sure we'll find your master here!" Tressa said, nodding as she flashed a reassuring smile. H'aanit managed a small smile in response, but the pit of dread that had formed in her stomach was a strong as ever. She had a bad feeling about this entire situation, and she would be lying if she said that she wasn't scared of what she would find here.

"Shall we split up? We could gather more information that way." Olberic said, and H'aanit agreed with him.

"Yes, good idea. Leten us pair up and start the search. We can meeteth back up at the inn at sundown." H'aanit said. Everyone paired off at her request and set off on the search. Olberic was chuckling as he followed a determined Tressa. Primrose and Alfyn walked off together, as the latter wondered aloud if there were any good salve ingredient sellers in town. Ophilia followed Therion, and H'aanit was left with Linde and Cyrus.

"Well then, where should we start our search? Maybe somewhere well populated, like the markets-" Cyrus began, but he was interrupted when Linde growled and was staring intently at something, and H'aanit followed her gaze. Her eyes widened when she recognized the large wolf that was running towards them.

"Hagen! Tis good to seeth you!" she said, a hopeful smile crossing her face as the direwolf stopped in front of her. He barked and wagged his tail as H'aanit reached down to pet his head. When she had left S'warkii on this journey, she had told Hagen to go ahead of her to Stoneguard. She hoped that he would have found Z'aanta before she arrived, but that did not appear to be the case, and a frown crossed her face.

"Ah, a direwolf? Fascinating! You hunters have the most interesting animal companions!" Cyrus said, chuckling as he took a step towards Hagen, wanting to get a better look at him. Hagen narrowed his eyes and growled, barring his teeth at Cyrus, who immediately recoiled backwards.

"Hagen, desist. Cyrus is thine friend." H'aanit said. Hagen didn't back down, until Linde purred and rubbed against Cyrus' legs. The direwolf watched her carefully, and his growling ceased. He sat down on his haunches and looked at Cyrus with a softened gaze.

Cyrus laughed. "Indeed. I assure you I am not as scary as I appear, my wolf friend." Cyrus said, a teasing edge to his voice. H'aanit watched as Cyrus crouched down to pet Linde's head, and a smile crossed her face.

"Well, now that we are all friends, leten us be off." H'aanit said, and her brow furrowed in concentration as she looked around. A sign caught her eye, and she turned to Cyrus. "If my master was here, he would have spent far too much time at the alehouse. We should starten our search there." Cyrus stood back up and nodded.

"All right. Lead the way." he said, and off they went. The visit to the alehouse proved to be worth it, and after getting all the information that she could from the owner, she stepped outside with Cyrus. She needed to find this Natalia. H'aanit could not recall her master mentioning anyone by that name before. She was curious as to what their relationship was.

"Taverns really are dens of gossip. We really should know by now that they are the places to start when wanting to gather information. I really should have suggested we head right there when we first got here." Cyrus mumbled to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

H'aanit grinned and shook her head. "Nay. We would never get anything done if the tavern was our first stop. Once Alfyn and Olberic get theiren hands on a mug of ale, they willst not stop until they are under the table." she said. Cyrus laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. Those two really should watch their alcohol intake. It cannot be healthy-" Cyrus said, and he was suddenly cut off as a Hagen suddenly ran up to them, growling when he stopped in front of H'aanit.

"Hagen? What is wrong?" she asked. The direwolf barked in response and ran off down the street, and Linde growled as she followed him. H'aanit glanced and Cyrus and he nodded, and they took off in pursuit of their animal friends.

"Why art thou acting this way, Hagen?" H'aanit wondered aloud. Something urgent must have happened to cause him to run off like that.

"Well, Hagen is a direwolf." Cyrus said. The duo stopped for a moment, as they lost sight of Hagen and Linde. "I have read that a direwolf's sense of smell is one hundred million more times as sensitive than that of humans." He paused to wipe a bit of sweat from his forehead. "And even among other wolves, they have the most sensitive noses of all."

"I assume that the smells of the city are overwhelming to him, with the crowds of different people and all. And yet," Cyrus continued, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "of all of those odors, he would be most sensitive to those that he is most familiar with." He looked at H'aanit and found her staring at him with a raised eyebrow and arms crossed over her chest.

"Er, right. To the point. He must have detected a certain scent. Namely, the scent belonging to-"

"Master." H'aanit finished, nodding in agreement. "We should hurry afteren him, then."

"Ah, yes. Precisely." Cyrus said, his tone dripping with disappointment as he adverted his gaze. A small smile crossed H'aanit's face. She knew that Cyrus was passionate about teaching, and she really could listen to him lecture all day. He had the charisma to keep people interested in what he was saying no matter the subject matter. Now was not the time, however, but she would have to sit down with him in the near future to chat more about direwolves and whatever else came to mind.

"Thou shouldst not losen heart. I will listenen to one of thy lectures once our job is done." she said, and she let out a chuckled when his face immediately brightened. H'aanit's attention was drawn to the markets when she heard the howl of a direwolf. She shared a glance with Cyrus and they were off again.

* * *

Cyrus had to really push himself to keep up with H'aanit. The huntress was in much better physical shape than he was, and he made a mental note to try and remedy that in the future. They rounded a corner to find Hagen growling at a man, who looked like a bodyguard of some sort. They slowed to a walk and Cyrus watched as H'aanit approached Linde, who was sitting silently next to her direwolf friend. H'aanit placed a hand on Hagen's head.

"Peace, Hagen." she said soothingly, running her fingers through his fur, "We willst taken it from here." She looked passed the guard and saw a man speaking to a woman. Cyrus frowned as he watched the man speak in an overbearing manner to the woman, who looked incredibly uncomfortable with the situation. Cyrus looked at H'aanit, and saw that her eyes were narrowed into a glare. She tried to stalk passed the guard, but he stepped in front of her. Cyrus inhaled sharply made to move forward to intercept him, but H'aanit held up a hand, stopping him. She looked ready to deal with this herself, so he forced himself to watch silently.

"Move along now, woman. Nothing to see here." the guard growled, placing a rough hand on her shoulder. Cyrus' eyes widened as he reached for a spell book, but H'aanit reacted faster and grabbed the man's wrist. She yanked him forward until he was off balance and delivered a sucker punch to his gut. When he doubled over in a combination of pain and shock, she bought her elbow down on the back of his head. The man slumped to the ground, unconscious. Cyrus' jaw dropped as H'aanit casually stepped over his body and made her way towards the woman and the annoying man that was harassing her.

"Well, that's one way to take care of things." Cyrus said to himself. H'aanit continued to amaze him in the most surprising ways. He sometimes forgot how physically strong she was, until he saw her wielding her bow with ease or making quick work of a man who dared to lay a hand on her without her permission. He also admired the strength of her convictions. She jumped in to help this stranger without a second thought.

Speaking of them, Cyrus was pulled from his thoughts as the annoying man abandoned his pursuit of the woman to run to his bodyguard's side, chastising him for 'falling asleep' on the job. Cyrus chuckled and gave Linde a pat on the head before following the leopard to H'aanit's side, where the huntress was conversing with the woman that she had rescued. Hagen was letting the woman pat him on the head; they seemed familiar with each other.

"Ah, Cyrus, this is Natalia. She ist acquainted with my master." H'aanit said when he approached them. "She...hasn't seen him in quite some time." Cyrus noted that she looked worried. Her brow was furrowed and a small frown graced her face. He gently took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Do not worry, H'aanit. I have no doubts that you of all people can find him. You have unparalleled skills in the realm of the huntress. I will help you in any way that I can." he said. She stared down at their hands for a moment before her eyes met his, and he was glad that a smile had returned to her face.

"I thanketh thee. I will not losen hope." H'aanit said. Cyrus released her had and she turned to Natalia. "Leten us speaketh at thine home, then?" she asked. Natalia nodded and, with Cyrus and H'aanit helping to carry her shopping bags, they ventured to her home. With any luck, they would find any lead possible to Z'aanta's whereabouts.

* * *

H'aanit was panting heavily, with sweat dripping from her face when at last the Lord of the Forest was felled by one last arrow. She sighed with relief as she lowered her bow, and she noticed that Tressa had been wounded in the fight. Alfyn offered to help her back to Stoneguard quickly, and H'aanit told them that they would regroup at the alehouse. She still needed to find Z'aanta. Hagen suddenly let out a howl and ran off deeper into the forest. H'aanit clenched her jaw and quickly followed, with Linde at her side.

Bursting through the foliage blocking the way, H'aanit found Hagen sitting in a clearing, next to an oddly-shaped stone formation. As she moved closer, she froze mid-step when she was able to make out the details of the stone.

"M-master?!"

Her blood turned to ice as she stood, frozen in place from shock. This...This couldn't be real. What manner of beast would have the ability to turn a man of flesh and blood to stone? This Redeye had to be something truly monstrous indeed.

"H'aanit! Here you are. I finally caught up with you..." Cyrus said as he emerged from the same foliage that she had moments earlier. He took one look at her distraught face and blinked in confusion.

"What's wrong? You look like you have seen a ghost," he continued, following her gaze. His jaw dropped in shock when he saw the stone Z'aanta in front of them. "W-what is this? Black magic?"

H'aanit could barely hear Cyrus over the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears. She took a few shaky steps forward, until she was close enough to reach out and touch Z'aanta with a trembling hand. The stone was cool to the touch. A wave of terror coursed through her. What if he was dead? The thought made her heart heavy, and a tight knot had formed in her stomach.

"I think this may be some form of petrification." Cyrus said. He was walking around Z'aanta, examining him closely. "Hmm, I may have a book on this..." He pulled out a tomb from his coat and began flipping through it quickly. H'aanit focused on staying calm as her gaze moved about the clearing, until her eyes fell upon one of Z'aanta's arrows embedded into a rock. She forced her legs to move to it and she pulled the arrow out, eyes widening when she saw that there was a note attached to it.

"Master..." she mumbled as she scanned the contents. It seemed that Cyrus' hypothesis was correct; Z'aanta was indeed petrified. She clenched her fists, crushing the note in her hands. Stillsnow...She needed to go there, to find this Susanna. If there was any way to save her master, she would stop at nothing to find out what that was.

"Blast! I must have left that book back at the inn..." Cyrus mumbled as he appeared next to H'aanit. He looked at the note in her hands and then his eyes met hers. "Are...you alright? This must not be an easy sight to deal with."

H'aanit closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She had to stay calm. She had a lead on a way to reverse this. She would make this right. And she was not alone. She had friends to help her. She had Cyrus.

"I...I will be fine. My master leften a note. Tis indeed petrification as you said." H'aanit said as she looked up at Cyrus. "We needen to go to Stillsnow. I must speaketh to a seer there. She may be able to guideth us on how to reverse it." Hagen growled and lay down at Z'aanta's feet.

"You willst watchen over him, then?" H'aanit said, a small smile crossing her face. Hagen nodded his head in response. "Taken care then, Hagen. I shall return, I promise."

"Well then, we should get moving. I will be sure to check that book that I have for any details about petrification when we get back to town." Cyrus said. He turned to walk back the way they came, but as he took a step, his right leg seemed to give out from under him and he collapsed to the ground.

"Cyrus?" H'aanit said, hurrying to his side. She knelt down beside him and suddenly realized that his right pant leg was soaked in blood. "What happened?"

"Oh dear...It appears that this wound was more serious than I thought." Cyrus said, wincing as he pushed himself into a sitting position, his right leg stretched out in front of him. H'aanit grabbed the bottom of the pant leg and pulled it up, cringing at the large gash running up the length of his shin.

"Cyrus, how did thee not notice this?" H'aanit said, cursing as she grabbed the bottom of her dress and ripped it until she had a good length of cloth in her hands. "Why did thou not goeth with Alfyn when he left?"

"Ah, well... I saw you run off, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. I did not know what you would find going deeper into the forest. Especially after we already fought such a challenging creature." Cyrus said, grinning sheepishly as an embarrassed blush rose on his cheeks. "A rather foolish choice in hindsight, but I could not let you face any danger alone if I could help it."

H'aanit sighed and wrapped up his leg with the cloth. While she appreciated the thought, she did not like the idea of her scholar friend bleeding out on the forest floor. Her shoddy bandage job would not last long, so she needed to get Cyrus back to town as soon as possible. She slid one arm under Cyrus' legs and the other behind his back as she lifted him off the ground with ease. He yelped in surprise and blinked at her from his new spot in her arms.

"H-H'aanit? You really don't have to carry me. Surely I can walk back to-" he started to protest, but H'aanit cut him off sharply.

"No. My bandaging skills are not great, and I do not wanten you to loose the wrapping on the way. Also, walking on that bum leg willst maken it bleed more." H'aanit said, shifting him in her arms a bit until he was in a comfortable position for her to carry.

"But H'aanit..."

"Doest thou eaten enough, Cyrus? Thou ist very light. You needest more meat on your bones." H'aanit interrupted, chuckling as Cyrus' laughter hit her ears. She nodded a farewell to Hagen, and she began making her way to town, with Linde following close behind.

"Well, your strength is unparalleled. Even if I did weigh more, I'm sure that you would still have no problem carrying me." he said, and with a sigh H'aanit felt his body relax in her arms. They moved silently through the forest for a few minutes, until H'aanit frowned and stopped.

"Cyrus." she said. He looked at her with half-lidded eyes; he seemed a little disoriented, possibly from the amount of blood he had lost. "Wrappen thy arms around my neck. It would helpen relieve some strain from my arms."

"A-are you sure?" Cyrus said, his eyes popping back into focus for the moment to give H'aanit a look of uncertainty.

"I would not have suggested so if I was not sure." she said. A small smile crossed her face as Cyrus slowly snaked his arms around her neck, his hands warm against her skin. She then stiffened as his head came to rest against her shoulder. She did not realize how his face had come to hers, and she felt her face heat up. She forced her feet to keep moving again, and she almost dropped Cyrus when she felt his face rubbing against her skin.

"Ah...H'aanit...You smell...nice." Cyrus mumbled against her neck, "Like a pine forest...fresh foliage...one with nature like a huntress should be..." She swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the large lump that had formed in her throat. She glanced at his injured leg and saw that blood had started to drip from the pant leg again.

"Damn!" H'aanit cursed as she broke into a run. He was getting delirious from blood loss. She should have noticed it before. Linde growled and took off ahead of H'aanit, hopefully to find Alfyn and lead him to them. She had already basically lost one person important to her today, and she would not let him be the second.

* * *

A loud yawn escaped Cyrus as he stepped out of the inn. He had been sleeping for most of the day, recovering his strength after loosing a bit too much blood to his injured leg. After receiving a good scolding from Alfyn and resting on his orders, he was heading to the tavern to meet up with the rest of the group. He was about to take a step when a growl hit his ears, and he turned to find Linde staring at him.

"Ah, good evening Linde!" Cyrus said, reaching down to pet the snow leopard as she rubbed against his legs. "I would have thought you would be with H'aanit at the tavern, what are you doing here?" Linde meowed in response and started walking towards the outskirts of town. She paused and turned her head to look at him. Did she want him to follow her?

"All right, I'm coming. I've got a bit of a limp, so I do apologize if I slow you down." Cyrus said, chuckling as he hurried after Linde. They reached the edge of town, where he was surprised to see H'aanit, sitting on an outcropping of rock that overlooked the cliffs of the Highlands. Linde meowed happily and ran to her side, sitting down next to her. H'aanit turned her head to look at her leopard friend, and Cyrus thought that she looked absolutely radiant in the light of the slowly setting sun. With her sharp features and deeper voice, H'aanit had an unconventional beauty that Cyrus was inexplicably drawn to. Not to mention that her inner and outer strength was something that he had never seen before in such abundance. He had truly never met anyone like her before.

"Cyrus?"

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to find her looking over her shoulder at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh dear! I'm terribly sorry for staring, H'aanit. How rude of me." Cyrus said, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. He smiled when H'aanit chuckled, and he walked over to where she was sitting.

"Tis alright. How is thine leg?" H'aanit asked.

"Oh, I can feel it healing as we speak. Alfyn really has a talent for making healing salves. I don't know how he does it." Cyrus said. "But I must ask, what are you doing out here? I would have thought that you would be at the tavern with the rest." She frowned as she turned to look out at the setting sun.

"I...I am not in the right mood for the tavern setting." she said softly. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling them to her chest so that she could rest her chin on her knees. Cyrus' heart sank as he watched her. It pained him to see her looking so sad, but she had very good reason to feel that way. Find her master in such a state must have been jarring, and he was surprised that she had handled it as well as she did. But maybe she was hurting more than she had let on.

"I see. My ears are always open if you need someone to talk to, H'aanit. Unless you'd like to be alone-"

"No." she said suddenly, cutting him off as she turned her head to look at him. She adverted her gaze to the ground and cleared her throat, a bit of red rising in her cheeks. "I would liken it if you would stay. Please." H'aanit was hurting more than she let on. Seeing her master trapped in stone was horrifying to her, and she was actually grateful - which sounded horrible the more she thought about it - that Cyrus had injured himself so. It had provided a nice distraction from her own distraught emotions. However, now that she was not worrying about his safety anymore, those emotions were back in full force and making her feel terrible.

"Of course." Cyrus said, sitting down next to her, close enough that their shoulders brushed lightly against one another. He sat in silence with her, watching as the sun sank below the horizon, and the stars started dotting the darkening sky.

"I'm...scared, Cyrus." H'aanit finally said, breaking the silence. "Master...He's all I have left. If I looseth him..." She trailed off, chewing on her bottom lip anxiously. She was used to being so calm and collected most of the time, but this situation really knocked her our of her comfort zone. The possibility of loosing the only family she had was so terrifying that it made her stomach lurch painfully. She clenched her jaw squeezed her eyes shut, forcing back the tears that threatened to form.

Her eyes shot open as she felt Cyrus' hand fall gently onto her shoulder. A sad smile crossed his face as he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. She felt some of the tension leave her body at his touch. For some reason, he always seemed to have a calming effect on her.

"I have a feeling that your master was more than just a teacher to you, yes?" Cyrus asked.

"Yes." H'aanit said with a nod, "My parents died when I was but a babe. I never gotten to meeteth them. Z'aanta took me in, taught me everything he kneweth. I can't letten him die." She looked down at her hands, which were clenched into fists in her lap. With a deep sigh, she slipped one of her arms behind Cyrus' back and placed her hand over his side, pulling him closer to her. These scared and vulnerable feelings were new, and she felt a need for physical contact with someone. She needed to feel that she wasn't alone.

A surprised 'oh' escaped from Cyrus at H'aanit's unexpected touch. He glanced down at her hand that was clinging to his side, and his gaze returned to her face. The look of hurt that he saw in her eyes was unbearable. He removed his hand from her shoulder and moved it to the other, his arm resting over her shoulders. She turned to look at him, and a smile finally returned to her face. His own lips curved into a smile immediately in response.

"Ah, there is a wonderful sight. You do look most radiant when you are smiling from the heart, H'aanit." he said. He chuckled when her face flushed a bright red, and he used his free hand to brush away a loose strand of her hair that had fallen in her face. "Remember, you are not alone. You are a wonderful person, and I will be by your side until your master is safe and sound. As will the rest of our ragtag bunch of companions."

H'aanit stared at Cyrus in shock as he laughed. She could still feel where his fingers had brushed over her cheek, and it made her heart race, but she did not know why. She did know that she felt much better than she had before he arrived, and she was very grateful for his friendship.

"Cyrus, I thanketh thee. I knowest that I can saveth my master, with thy help." she said, her green eyes locking with his.

"You are most welcome, H'aanit. You are a dear friend to me, and I could not stand by while you are so saddened without offering to help." he said, his gaze lingering on hers for much longer than was probably appropriate. He cleared his throat and adverted his gaze to the rising moon, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

A comfortable silence fell, and H'aanit sighed contently as she rested her head on Cyrus' shoulder. He responded by squeezing her shoulder and she chuckled. Something popped into her head then, and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Cyrus? Thou remembers our brief discussion of direwolves earlier?" she asked. When he nodded, she continued, "Would thou liken to continue that discussion? I would liken to see if your lecture matches with what I have been taught." She laughed when his face lit up with giddy enthusiasm.

"Oh, of course! I would love to cross check my knowledge with a skilled huntress such as yourself!" Cyrus said, and the giggle that escaped H'aanit made his heart skip a beat. What a beautiful sound that was.

"Yes, well, to begin, direwolves have the most sensitive noses of all wolf species, and-" Cyrus began, and they talked well into the night about wolves and whatever else came to mind. Eventually they talked themselves into exhaustion, and they fell asleep in each other's arms, dreaming of each other and not knowing exactly why.

* * *

H'aanit carrying an injured Cyrus was a scene that popped into my head and I had to write about it. Also, the idea of Cyrus being super impressed as H'aanit trounces a dude was a good enough image for me to justify rewriting that scene xD Also, also, I am pretty much pulling H'aanit's speak pattern out of my ass and have no idea how it is actually supposed to be written so uhhhh yeah...Anyway, thank you all for reading, and for the reviews and favs. I appreciate it all very much! 3


	4. Dense

"Ah, so this is Quarrycrest!" Cyrus said as he looked around curiously. The small town nestled in the Cliftlands was his destination, and he was eager to find Odette to see if she could help him in his search for the missing book he was looking for. Tressa suddenly ran past him, her head jerking back and forth as she looked around excitedly.

"Oh man, a mining town! I bet I can find a bunch of cool stuff to sell here!" she said, and she grabbed Ophilia and Therion by the their arms and dragged them off. "C'mon guys, help me find something to sell!" Therion protested loudly as he struggled to escape her grip, and Ophilia just giggled and accepted her fate.

"She certainly is enthusiastic, isn't she?" Primrose said, an amused smile crossing her face.

"Sure is." Alfyn said with a laugh. He then gave Olberic a friendly slap on the back. "Hey, let's hit up the tavern! All this travelin's got me real thirsty." Olberic let out a hearty laugh and nodded.

"I'm always up for a good mug of ale. You think you can beat me this time?" the warrior said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Wait a minute! I won last time!" Alfyn protested as the two started off in the direction of the tavern. H'aanit chuckled and shook her head. As she remembered, neither one of them won their last drinking contest, because it ended with both of them passed out on the tavern floor.

Primrose rolled her eyes. "I guess I will join those two. They need a proper judge for their silly contest." she said. She looked to H'aanit and asked, "Would you like to join us?"

H'aanit glanced over at Cyrus and shook her head. "Nay. I am going to helpen Cyrus find his old friend first." Primrose raised an eyebrow at her and nodded, a grin crossing her face.

"Okay then, you two have fun." she said with a wink. H'aanit cocked her head, confused. "Oh, H'aanit, do stop by the tavern when you are done. We have some things to chat about." Before H'aanit could ask her what she meant by that, Primrose was already walking away to catch up with Alfyn and Olberic. H'aanit shrugged at Linde, who purred in response, before she turned to Cyrus.

"Ah, if you want to go with them, you are most welcome to, H'aanit. You'd probably have more fun with the others." Cyrus said, a wave of guilt passing through him as he frowned. He did like spending time with her, but he did not want her to feel like she needed to be here if she didn't want to. This wasn't exactly going to be the most exciting day.

H'aanit smiled and gently touched his arm. "You needn't worry about that. If I did not want to be here, I would have gone. I enjoy thine company." she said.

Cyrus laughed as H'aanit's hand slipped from his arm. "I am flattered that a remarkable woman such as yourself likes hanging around a long-winded bore like me." he said.

The huntress shook her head. "Nay, thou is far from boring. I learnen much from talking with you. We haveth the most interesting conversations." H'aanit said. She then notice that Cyrus was holding something in his hands and she asked "What is that?"

"Oh! Yes, well, this is a letter from Odette, which has directions to her house. And..." he trailed off suddenly and a light blush rose on his cheeks, and H'aanit was too perplexed at his reaction to not question it.

"And?"

"Er, nothing. Just, ah, some minuscule other things that she wrote about. N-nothing of importance." Cyrus said, stumble over his words a bit as he adverted his gaze. H'aanit stared at him for a moment before she lunged forward, reaching out to try and grab the letter. Cyrus reacted quickly and held the letter over his head, glad that he was a good length taller than her.

"H'aanit! Really, it's nothing!" he said, unable to hold back his laughter as she raised herself up on her tip-toes in a failed effort to reach the paper in his hands. When Cyrus had first met her, H'aanit had seemed the serious, no-nonsense type. However, the more time they spent together and more comfortable they became around one another, she began to let slip a playful side to her personality that Cyrus found incredibly adorable.

In his moment of distraction, he failed to notice Linde approaching from behind, and he was unprepared as the snow leopard headbutted the back of his legs, knocking him off balance enough for H'aanit to snatch the letter from his hands. Mortified, Cyrus took a step to try and grab it back, but he was stopped in his tracks. He turned his head to find that Linde was the culprit, her mouth clamped shut on the end of his coat.

"Linde! How could you betray me like this?" Cyrus said, shooting her a look of faux distress. Linde just purred innocently, her eyes moving from him to H'aanit, who suddenly burst out laughing. Cyrus blushed madly and turned back to her. "Oh, how embarrassing."

H'aanit was hit with a fit of uncontrollable laughter after she read the contents of Odette's letter. His old friend really didn't pull any punches when it came to pointing out Cyrus' complete disregard of how attractive he was to women. He was indeed a conventionally attractive man; she would have to be blind not to see it. He was also charismatic, which only amplified his physical attractiveness. What H'aanit found most hilarious about this letter is the fact that Odette had predicted the cause of Cyrus' forced sabbatical.

"This Odette ist ratheren blunt. And she can apparently predict the future." H'aanit teased, holding the letter out to Cyrus, who quickly took it and shoved it away.

"Yes, yes. It is quite ironic that her warning actually would have been most helpful. But alas," he said, placing the back of his hand over his forehead dramatically, "Woe is me, never to realize the full depth of my good looks and charisma!" When H'aanit doubled over, wheezing from laughing so hard, he couldn't keep a straight face and his own laughter loudly intermingled with hers.

After spending a moment composing themselves, Cyrus cleared his throat and quickly scanned the letter again. "Right. As much as I would love to keep amusing you to coax out that beautiful laugh of yours, we should make haste to Odette's house." H'aanit blushed and nodded, falling into step beside him as he led the way, while Linde followed close behind.

They were soon standing in front of a modest home, sitting on a cliff overlooking the rest of the town. H'aanit was curious to meet this Odette. It was obvious that Cyrus held her in high regard, and she wanted to see how another scholar compared to him.

"I cannot believe it's been ten whole years..." Cyrus mumbled to himself. "I wonder if she will recognize me."

"I thinken you would be hard to forgeten, Cyrus." H'aanit said, earning a chuckle from him. He moved to the door and gave it a few firm raps with his knuckles.

"Yes, yes, I'll be right there!" a muffled voice said from within, and after a few moments, the door opened and out stepped a light-haired woman, who H'aanit assumed was Odette.

"Ah, it's been some time, Odette!" Cyrus said, beaming at her. Odette stared at him for a moment before retreating back inside and slamming the door in his face. Cyrus blinking in confusion, stealing a glance at H'aanit who just shrugged in response. Maybe she did forget who he was.

The door reopened and Odette stepped back outside. "Huh. You're still hear. Good to know that I'm not suffering from any hallucinations yet." she said, a grin crossing her face.

"Yes, it is indeed me, in the flesh! It is very good to see you looking as hale and hearty as ever." Cyrus responded. Odette rolled her eyes at him and turned back to the door.

"And you're as insufferable as ever. Well, come in then." she said, not looking back. Cyrus chuckled and followed, and H'aanit did the same, while Linde curled outside the door to take a quick nap.

Odette turned to Cyrus once they were inside and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well? Are you going to introduce me to your friend or what?" she said, her gaze moving from him to H'aanit.

"Oh, yes, how rude of me! Odette, this is H'aanit. H'aanit, Odette, a dear old friend from the academy." he said.

"Tis good to meeten thee. Cyrus has spoken most highly of thee." H'aanit said, holding out her hand to Odette. The older woman smiled and shoot it firmly.

"Good to meet you as well. I hope Cyrus hasn't been too unbearable to be around. He will talk your ear off if you let him." Odette said, raising an eyebrow.

"Nay. Fortunately I liken his excessive rambling." H'aanit said, earning a laugh from Odette.

"Well, good on you for tolerating him. I probably would have ditched him on the side of the road by now if I was traveling with him."

"Tis tempting some days."

"I am standing right here." Cyrus said, pouting as an embarrassed blush crossed his face.

"We know. We're just teasing you, Cyrus. It is quite easy to do, after all." Odette said. "But anyway, what are you doing all the way out here? Aren't you still teaching at the royal academy?"

"Er, yes, well..." Cyrus mumbled, before he told Odette of the unfortunate circumstances that led to his sabbatical. Odette barely managed to hold out until he was finished speaking before bursting out laughing so hard that tears were running down her face by the time she was able to compose herself.

"How did I know that would be your reaction?" Cyrus groaned, sighing as he covered his face with a hand in shame.

"He was always like this." Odette said to H'aanit when she caught her breath. "We were practically joined at the hit back in the day." H'aanit could see it. They talked like they still were, and not like they hadn't seen each other in ten years.

"I always knew you would have trouble with the ladies, but with the princess of all people!" Odette continued, turning back to Cyrus. "I don't know how you managed to always exceed my expectations of you."

"And I thought that maybe your observational skills would improve over time. How naive of me." She turned her head to stare at H'aanit, who blinked at her, confused.

"What do you mean?" Cyrus asked, apparently also confused by the statement. Odette just waved it off.

"Nevermind. So, why did you come here again? Just to tell me of this latest and greatest blunder of yours?"

"Unfortunately, no." Cyrus said, and H'aanit watched silently as the two scholars discussed the missing book that Cyrus was searching for. She suddenly felt a bit out of place here. She did want to help Cyrus out, but she felt that she would just be in the way here at the moment.

"Pardon me." H'aanit said, grabbing the attention of the scholars before they got too engrossed in their discussion. "I believe it would be best if I taken my leave now. I do not want to disturb thy research, and I fear that this ist not my area of expertise." Plus, she remembered that Primrose wanted to speak with her. She was most curious about that.

"Ah yes, I apologize, my dear H'aanit. When I am done here, I will see you at the tavern?" Cyrus said. H'aanit nodded in response. "Ah, good! Thank you for accompanying me here. I am most grateful for the company." Cyrus was slightly sad that she was leaving, but he most certainly did not want her to stay if she felt uncomfortable or anything.

"Anytime. T'was nice meeting you, Odette. Taken care." she said as she headed towards the door.

"Likewise. I hope to see you again, H'aanit." Odette said. Cyrus watched her leave, and when the door shut behind her, he turned back to Odette to find her staring at him with a rather intense look.

"...What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Cyrus asked.

"So, about H'aanit...How did you two meet?" she asked, ignoring his own question. He tilted his head, confused at the sudden change of subject, but he was glad that Odette wanted to know more about his friend.

"Well, we met in Atlasdam, just before my unfortunate incident." Cyrus said, and he narrowed his eyes when it looked like Odette would burst out laughing again, but she managed to contain herself. "She and a few others assisted me with a separate problem. There are eight of us total traveling together, helping each other with varying quests."

"You two seem to be rather close."

"Ah, yes! I suppose we have become rather attached to each other." Cyrus said, his eyes lighting up. "She is an intelligent and self-sufficient woman. And her physical strength is unparalleled! Not to mention that her skills as a huntress are near perfect, from what I can tell with my limited knowledge of the profession. I have learned quite a bit from her." His rambling was cut off when Odette suddenly groaned loudly and smacked a hand over her face.

"Gods. Cyrus!" she said with frustration, causing Cyrus to blink at her, confused. "I thought that maybe ten years would be enough time for you to get your shit together, but you're just as painfully dense as ever."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're obviously head-over-heels in love with this woman."

Silence filled the room for a few moments before Cyrus laughed. "Preposterous! Where did you ever come up with that idea?" he asked. Odette was just making baseless claims. H'aanit was just a good friend, nothing more. How silly of her to think otherwise.

"Really, Cyrus? You really just think of her as a friend? Because I've never seen your eyes light up quite like when you were gushing about her just now. Not even when you made breakthroughs in your research all those years ago." Odette countered, raising an eyebrow at him.

That statement gave him pause. Did his eyes really light up that much when he talked about H'aanit? He always felt happy when speaking to her, or about her, or even when he was just thinking about her. She was important to him, but so were the rest of his friends. But...did he always have this warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach when it was anyone but her?

Odette watched as Cyrus frowned and furrowed his brow, and she smirked. She could practically see the gears turning in his head. Good. She had at least gotten him to think about his feelings for once. Maybe this time his idiot brain would be able to comprehend how deep his feelings for H'aanit went. She sure hoped so, for both of their sake's.

"Anyway, as much as I would like to help you stop being an idiot, we don't have twenty years to spare. Before I can help you with your problem, there is something that I need help with first..."

* * *

H'aanit entered the tavern, with Linde following close behind. She saw that Olberic, Alfyn, and Therion were at one table, with many empty mugs of ale littering the surface. She shook her head at the sight and made her way to a table a few away from the men, where Primrose, Tressa, and Ophilia were currently chatting quietly.

"Ah, H'aanit. There you are." Primrose said when H'aanit sat down next to her. "Did Cyrus find his friend okay?"

"Yes. I leften them to their discussion." she said, taking the mug of ale that Tressa offered her.

"Ah, good," Primrose said, setting her hands on the table and lacing her fingers together, "because we have to talk. About you and Cyrus." H'aanit raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Tressa and Ophilia, who were both watching and listening intently.

"I don't know what therest to talk about." H'aanit said, frowning as she took a slow sip of her drink.

"Are you sure? You guys are pretty close now, right?" Tressa asked, a huge grin crossing her face. "When are you gonna hurry up and kiss him already?"

"W-what?" H'aanit sputtered, and she was glad that she had already swallowed her drink or it would have ended up all over the table.

"Tressa, please. They're not quite at that stage yet." Primrose said, earning a giggle from Ophilia. Primrose rolled her eyes when H'aanit gaped at her in shock.

"Don't give me that look. Everyone here except for you and Cyrus thinks there's something going on between you two. I've talked to Olberic about it." Primrose said.

"...Really? Why?" H'aanit asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. She didn't think that her and Cyrus had done anything that would imply that they were anything more than friends.

Ophilia giggled and decided to chime in. "Well, remember when we were in Stoneguard? We were all worried when you and Cyrus never showed up at the tavern." she started.

"Oh yeah! And when we went to look for you, we found you guys sleeping in each other's arms! It was so cute!" Tressa interrupted, and she sighed dreamily. "It was like something out of a romance novel."

"B-but that wasn't..." H'aanit said, but she trailed off as her face flushed at the memory. She remembered that night quite well. Cyrus had been a source of comfort after the jarring discovery of her master's fate. They had both awoken the next morning, with Cyrus lying on his back, while H'aanit lay over him, her head resting on his chest while his arms were wrapped securely around her. It had been a bit awkward, but Cyrus didn't seem too fazed by it. She remembered the warm feeling that she had in her chest for the rest of that day after the fact, and her eyes widened when she realized that the three woman in front of her may be onto something.

"H'aanit, you're face is as red as a tomato. Thinking about him, are you?" Primrose teased, chuckling when H'aanit swallowed hard and adverted her gaze.

"W-well. I do not knowen what I feel for him. This is...an unfamiliar feeling for me. Cyrus...is not really a man I thought I would be attracted to." she said, looking down at the table as she rubbed her hands together nervously.

"Oh? What sort of man did you think you'd be drawn to?" Ophilia asked, leaning forward with great interest. Tressa and Primrose also stared at her, waiting with baited breath.

H'aanit thought about it for a moment before answering. "I never puten that much thought into it, but I thinken that I'd wanten a man who was stronger than me." she said, nodding. She looked up from the table when Tressa laughed, causing her to frown. "What ist so funny?"

"Geez, I don't think that leaves many men for you then. You're the strongest person I've ever met, H'aanit. You even beat Olberic at arm wrestling!" the merchant said, raising her eyebrows at the huntress.

"Luckily," Primrose chimed in, "there are many types of strength that are not physical." H'aanit agreed with her. She herself had an unmatched physical prowess, but was lacking in other areas of strength. Cyrus popped into her head once more. His intellectual strength was unlike anything she had seen before, and he also was extremely gifted in the magical arts. His charisma was also impressive, and they were all good strengths to have that she herself was lacking.

"You're thinking about Cyrus again, aren't you?" Primrose's voice snapped H'aanit out of her own thoughts, and she found that Tressa and Ophilia were giggling while Primrose smirked at her. "You have the most adorable smile on your face."

H'aanit quickly covered her face with her hands when she realized that she was indeed grinning like a madman. Adverting her gaze, she felt her cheeks heating up as she shifted a bit in her chair.

"N-nay, I was just-"

"Don't even try to deny it." Tressa interrupted, rolling her eyes, "You can be honest with us, H'aanit. You and Cyrus happen to be the most dense people in the world, and we thought we could help you sort your feelings out." Primrose and Ophilia nodded in agreement.

H'aanit looked back up and a small smile crossed her face. "Ah, I knoweth you all mean well. I will...think about what you've said. I thanketh you all for thine help." she said. She was grateful that she had met such wonderful friends.

"Ah, Cyrus! You finally made it! Join us for a drink already!"

Olberic's booming voice rang throughout the tavern, and H'aanit turned find Cyrus crossing the room. His eyes met hers and he smiled brightly, causing her heartbeat to quicken. Primrose suddenly stood up from their table and pulled H'aanit to her feet.

"Well, now that our discussion is over, let's join our male counterparts, shall we?" she asked, winking at H'aanit as Tressa and Ophilia followed suit. They joined the men at their table, all sitting down before H'aanit and conveniently leaving an empty seat beside Cyrus. H'aanit tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she sat down.

"Ah, H'aanit! How was your chat with Primrose?" Cyrus asked, quickly thanking Olberic for the mug of ale before turning his full attention on her. H'aanit clenched her jaw and gave him a nervous smile. She didn't really want to talk about the details with him, especially since she was still sorting out her feelings for him.

"'Twas, ah, fine." she said, taking a quick drink to hide her blush. "Did Odette helpen you with your search for that book?" She was hoping that the question would be enough to change the subject.

Cyrus shrugged as he took a sip of his drink. "She is going to look into it for me, but while she does, she asked me to help her with a problem she's been having." H'aanit watched him curiously as he continued.

"Apparently some of the townsfolk have gone missing lately. I did some investigating, and I think I may have a lead. I think the culprit may have taken the missing people to the sewers." He stared intensely at his drink as he drummed his fingers against the sides of the mug. "It seems that people rarely venture down there, so it would be a perfect location for holding the abducted people."

"Aye, 'tis concerning indeed." H'aanit said, a frown crossing her face. "An underground place liken the sewers would be home to many a monster if not regularly visited by humans."

"My thoughts exactly. I am thinking of venturing down there in the morning." he said, and he suddenly reached over and took one of H'aanit's hands in his, causing her to freeze and stare at him with wide eyes.

"H'aanit...I hate to ask this of you, as putting you in any kind of danger makes me rather nervous." Cyrus paused when H'aanit narrowed her eyes at him. He quickly added, "Er, not that I think you cannot handle yourself in a fight. I know you have no equal when it comes to wielding a bow with ease."

Her eyes softened at his words, and a faint blush rose in her cheeks. She nodded slightly, urging him to continue.

"Ah, yes, well, I was hoping that you would accompany me. I trust you with my life, and I know that I can count on you to watch my back. Or carry me to safety if I do something careless...again." he said, laughing when H'aanit rolled her eyes.

"Please don't doeth that again. If you loseth that much blood once more thou may not recover so quickly the second time." she said, chuckling as she reflexively gave his hand a squeeze. The both suddenly became hyper aware of the fact that they were still holding hands. Cyrus pulled his hand away and cleared his throat, hoping to hide his embarrassment. H'aanit's heart raced as she gulped and adverted her gaze.

"Y-yes, I will be sure to take extra precautions this time around." Cyrus said, smiling sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. A fuzzy feeling crept into his stomach and he suddenly felt quite warm. Was the ale having an effect on him already? He wasn't quite sure why he was feeling so weird. He hoped that he wasn't getting sick.

"Good." H'aanit responded, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I will helpen thee. 'Tis what friends do foren each other, yes?" The word friend rolled off her tongue, and it felt weird, like it really wasn't the right word to describe their relationship. Her mind wandered to the conversation that she just had with Primrose, Tressa, and Ophilia, and her stomach turned anxiously. Maybe...maybe she was starting to fall for him?

Happiness surged through Cyrus as a bright smile crossed his face. "I'm rather glad that I have such a wonderful friend, H'aanit. You really are someone special to me." he said. He was honestly quite surprised at how close they were, seeing as they were very different people. He couldn't have asked for a better best friend. As Cyrus thought more about it, though, categorizing their relationship that way seemed...hollow. Like it was not a strong enough label. He thought about what Odette had said to him earlier, and his eyes widened. No, that wasn't it. She was jumping to conclusions. He couldn't possibly be in love with H'aanit. He felt the same about her that he did the other women of their group.

Hmm, no. That wasn't right at all. Just thinking about H'aanit was enough to send his heart a flutter, but he could not recall that ever happening with the others. This was...rather confusing. He had no idea what to make of his feelings, and that perplexed him.

"Er, are you guys alright? You're faces are awfully red. Should I take a look at ya?"

H'aanit and Cyrus snapped back to reality and looked across the table at Alfyn, who was staring at them with a raised eyebrow. The rest of the table was also looking at hem curiously. Primrose caught H'aanit's eye and shot her a knowing grin, and H'aanit clenched her jaw and shook her head.

"Nay, I am fine. 'Tis just...a little warm in here." H'aanit said, sneaking a glance at Cyrus. His face was looking rather red, and she hoped that he wasn't getting sick.

Cyrus cleared his throat and waved a hand in Alfyn's direction. "Not to worry! I am fit as a fiddle. Just, ah, maybe I need to cut myself off after this mug." he said, laughing halfheartedly as he downed the rest of his drink. He then quickly changed the subject. "Ah, yes, by the way, I may need some help with a task in the morning." He said before telling the rest of the table his plans for the sewer exploration in the morning. H'aanit sighed in relief as she joined the conversation, and both of them were glad for the distraction from their confusing feelings.

* * *

The next morning, Cyrus and H'aanit made for the sewers, with Olberic and Ophilia tagging along to help. After fighting their way through the creatures lurking in the dank underground, they came upon a disturbing sight. A room glowing red from the strange markings on the floor, dead bodies drained of their blood, and mysterious crystals that seemed to be made from said blood. It disturbed the party of adventurers greatly, but they had to remain vigilant, for it seemed that some of the captives remained alive. When the kidnapper showed up, the group fought a hard battle, but managed to subdue him.

After Cyrus acquired the false abridged copy of the book he was searching for, and escorting the surviving villagers back to town, H'aanit found herself walking at his side, heading for Odette's house once more.

Something was off, however. Cyrus hadn't said a word since leaving the sewers, and his face was expressionless, with a distant look in his eyes. She had never seen him like this, and it worried her. When they were within sight of Odette's house, H'aanit stopped walking as she reached out and took hold of Cyrus's arm. He stopped at the sudden touch and blinked a few times before turning to look at her.

"Hm? Oh...what is it, H'aanit?" he asked, his voice unusually quiet. Her heart hurt as she detected great sadness in his tone. Something big was troubling him.

"Is...is thou alright, Cyrus? Thou has been very quiet." she said as she continued to hold his arm. She finally took note that he was shaking slightly, a very deep contrast to the normally confident and well-composed demeanor that he normally held.

He didn't answer right away as he adverted his gaze to the ground. He closed his eyes and visibly swallowed, and then took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He reopened his eyes and looked back up at H'aanit.

"H'aanit, I...What that man did...It was abhorrent. That he was using ancient knowledge to complete these despicable acts. I feel...deeply disturbed." Cyrus said, pausing as he spoke to find the right words for what he was feeling. A mix of nausea and guilt had been plaguing him since he realized what had gone on in that sewer. He had never seen such a gruesome practice before. It was jarring, and he was having a hard time processing his feelings.

"I just feel like I could have done more for those poor people. If I had just gotten here sooner. If I had figured out where he was in a more timely fashion...those victims might still be alive. Such...such a pointless waste of life." Cyrus continued, a pained look crossing his face as he closed his eyes, letting out a shaky sigh. His eyes shot open in surprise when he felt H'aanit's arms wrap around him, and she pulled him into a firm hug.

H'aanit didn't know what had compelled her to hug him. Maybe because seeing Cyrus looking so sad made her feel like her heart was breaking in two, and she couldn't just stand there and do nothing to comfort him. He had been there for her when she needed him. She wanted to do the same for him, to help him when he was in need of support.

"Cyrus, thou must not blameth thyself for another man's horrible acts." she said, "Thou did what thine could, and because of that, you savened many lives. 'Tis an admirable and selfless act. You'ren a good man. Nevern forget that." She felt him tense for a moment, and then he chuckled as he rested his forehead against her shoulder. She could practically feel the tension leave his body as he wrapped his arms around her, returning her hug.

"Ah, H'aanit. Thank you so much. You are right, I cannot falter now. I must stop whoever using this forbidden knowledge before anyone else is hurt." he said. He lifted his head from her shoulder and locked his eyes with her, so close that their noses were almost touching and she could feel his breath on her face. H'aanit's heart jumped to her throat, and she forgot how to breathe for a moment. "You really are an incredible woman. Everyday I count myself lucky to have run into you back in Atlasdam."

"O-oh..." H'aanit managed to squeak out, her face flushing with heat, and it felt like a swarm of butterflies had taken flight in her stomach. She cleared her throat and adverted her gaze.

"You...you should probably go and speaketh to Odette. She ist probably waiting for you." H'aanit said quickly, and she regretfully released her hold on him and stepped backwards.

"Ah, yes, I shouldn't keep her waiting." Cyrus said, trying to hide his disappointment when H'aanit stepped away. He could still feel the lingering heat of her arms around him, and his head was spinning from how happy he felt embracing her.

"I willst waiten out here. I...still needed more fresh air after being in those sewers." she said quickly, turning to look over the cliff side at the town below. She took a few deep breaths to calm her rapidly beating heart, and hoped that Cyrus hadn't noticed.

Cyrus smiled and turned towards Odette's house. "Very well, I shall try not to take too long." he said as he strode away, and all of the gloominess he had felt minutes ago had vanished like it had never been there at all.

After being chastised yet again by Odette for yet again unintentionally flirting with a woman and successfully figuring out where he was off to next in his search for the missing book, Cyrus was about to bid farewell to his old friend, but she stopped him at the door.

"Cyrus." she said, and he raised an eyebrow at her serious tone. "Regarding H'aanit, have you thought about what we discussed yesterday?" She chuckled as he blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ah, yes, I have indeed." he said, biting his bottom lip nervously. "I think there may be some truth to your...observations. I still need to think about it more, but I thank you for bringing the issue to my attention. I am indeed rather dense when it comes to this kind of thing."

"Well that's the understatement of the century." Odette said as she burst out laughing. She was happy that he was finally starting to pay attention to his feelings. She knew for sure that he felt something for this H'aanit. She had been watching them through the window before Cyrus had stopped by, and had witnessed their rather intimate-looking embrace. She was curious to see if he would actually be able to act upon his feelings.

"And with that, I think I should be off. This task will not complete itself." Cyrus said, taking Odette's hand and shaking it firmly. "Thank you again, Odette, for everything."

"You're welcome. It was good to see you, Cyrus. Take care, and good luck." she said, and out the door he went.

He headed back down the path towards town, and found H'aanit in the same place he left her, standing at he edge of the cliff overlooking the town. Linde was sitting next to her, and she growled a pleased growl when she noticed him approaching. H'aanit turned to meet his gaze, and the smile that crossed her face gave him pause. It was a beautiful sight, and he found himself smiling right back at her.

"Ah, Cyrus, did thou findeth what thou needed to knowen?" she asked when he walked up next to her. He nodded and looked down at the book he was holding. It was only a copy of the one he was looking for, but it had given him a lead on where to find the true copy of "The Far Reaches of Hell."

"I found out where I need to search next anyway." he said, "This book is bound with lambskin and the paper is made with pinewood. There is only one place that I can think of where both can be found in sufficient quantities, and that place is Stoneguard." He noticed that H'aanit's eyes darkened a bit at the mention of the town, as that is where her master was currently trapped in his petrified state. He gave her a small smile and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

H'aanit calmed in response to his touch. "Aye, I willst be fine, Cyrus. It will be good to checken up on master, and Hagen as well." she said. She decided to change the subject and asked "Did thou say that the book was bound with lambskin?" When he nodded, she continued, "It just reminded me of my experience hunting wild goats."

"Oh? Very interesting." Cyrus said, his eyes lighting up as he waiting for H'aanit to continue. He always enjoyed hearing her talk about her passion for hunting, because she always had a giddy excitement that radiated off of her as she spoke.

"Yes, their fur is highly valued, especially when unmarred by wounds..." she said, and he listened intently as she lectured on, and he was completely hooked on absorbing her knowledge on the subject. She really seemed to have a knack for educating. How curious.

"H'aanit, I dare say, I believe you have a talent for teaching. Perhaps it is something that would interest you in the future?" he said. Her face scrunched up in disapproval, and he couldn't help but chuckle, and note that she looked rather cute.

"Nay. I thinke not." she said quickly, shaking her head firmly.

"You seem quite sure about that."

"I preferen the hunt itself."

"Well, pedagogy's loss is hunting's gain I suppose." Cyrus said, shrugging. "I'll just have to learn all I can from you and do the teaching myself."

"Indeed. You certainly excel at your profession. I mighten have to try being thou's student sometime." H'aanit said.

"It would be an honor to teach such a driven woman such as yourself, dear H'aanit! But for now, we should get a move on. I'm sure our friends are waiting for us." Cyrus said. H'aanit nodded and they headed back to town, side-by-side, where they both felt their happiest, and they were slowly starting to realize why.


	5. Realizations

The snowfall was light when the group of eight travelers entered the village of Stillsnow. The group dispersed a bit, with Primrose heading straight for the tavern with a determined look on her face, followed by Alfyn, Therion, and Ophilia. Tressa had somehow convinced Olberic to join her in attempting to build a snowman. Linde was happily frolicking in the snow, and had attracted the attention of some local children, who laughed as they watched the snow leopard roll around on her back. H'aanit chuckled. She was happy that her partner was having a good time. She was really in her element here.

"I say, Linde really seems to be enjoying herself." Cyrus said, smiling as he chuckled with amusement. H'aanit turned to look at him and smiled, and the increasingly familiar feeling of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach returned with a vengeance. She was slowly starting to realize that she did indeed have feelings for him. She was always happy when she was with him, and every over the top complement and innocent touch left her feeling warm and fuzzy inside for the rest of the day. However, she had no idea what to do about these feelings, as she did not know how he felt about her.

"She must be elated to be back in her natural habitat. I'll bet she-" Cyrus started, but was interrupted when Linde suddenly pounced on him, sending him to the ground on his back with an 'oof!' as the wind was knocked out of him.

H'aanit's eyes widened as she quickly pulled the heavy cat off of him. "Linde! Thou musten be careful when playing! Thou doest not know thine own strength." She meowed in response and sat down on her haunches, licking one of her paws trying to feign innocence.

"Silly leopard." H'aanit mumbled, rolling her eyes as she reached down and grabbed Cyrus's hand. She easily pulled him to his feet, and he stumbled a bit, falling against her so that his cheek brushed hers. Her breath caught in her throat her face flushed, and their eyes met as Cyrus placed his hands on her shoulders to steady himself. They stared at each other for a few moments before Cyrus blushed and broke the eye contact, clearing his throat as he released H'aanit's shoulders.

"Er, f-forgive me, H'aanit. How t-terribly clumsy of me." he stuttered, and he laughed nervously. He tried to look her in the eye again, but a tight knot formed in his stomach when those beautiful green eyes sparkled at him, causing him to shift his gaze awkwardly to the ground. What in blazes was wrong with him?

"'Tis alright. Thou must have sacrificed thine gracefulness to obtain thine great intelligence." H'aanit teased, grinning as Cyrus laughed, and she was amazed at how happy that sound made her feel.

"Indeed! I do know my strengths and weaknesses quite well by now." he said, shrugging as he reached down to pet Linde, who was now rubbing against his legs and purring happily. H'aanit was quickly turning into one of those weaknesses, it seemed. Odette...really may have been on to something when she accused him of having feelings for the huntress. An unfortunate side effect of this realization was that their interactions had a bit of an...awkward air to them now. He did not know what to do about that.

Linde meowed and moved away from Cyrus as two children ran up to her, chattering excitedly about being so close to a snow leopard. He chuckled as H'aanit spoke patiently to them, inquiring about the seer, Susanna. The children gave directions to the seer's house, and ran off after bidding farewell to Linde. Cyrus smiled at the look of adoration H'aanit gave her leopard friend as she scratched under her chin.

"Thou enjoyed the attention?" H'aanit asked, smiling when she purred happily in response. She then turned to Cyrus.

"Doest thou wanten to visit this Susanna with me?"

"Of course. I would be delighted to." Cyrus said. H'aanit nodded and turned her head away, hoping to hide the blush that rose upon her cheeks. She didn't know how he could have this effect on her. It was a bit maddening. She tried to push those distracting thoughts to the back of her mind as she and Cyrus walked side by side towards their destination, with Linde padding along behind them.

They reached the house that the children described, and H'aanit stopped in her tracks when she saw that there was a crowd gathered there. Cyrus wasn't paying attention, chatting away about all of the large cat species that enjoyed snow, so H'aanit reached forward and grabbed his hand to stop him. Cyrus immediately stopped at the touch and H'aanit felt his hand tense in hers, and she quickly let go when she realized what she was doing.

"S-sorry." she said, stuttering as she clenched her jaw and turned her gaze to the commotion. Cyrus was left breathless and couldn't muster up a reply. He glanced down at his hand and closed it, missing the warmth of her own against his skin. He swallowed nervously and finally followed her gaze too see what the fuss was about.

After watching the pushy warrior get trounced by the man guarding Susanna's house, Cyrus eyed him warily and his brow furrowed. Getting through to speak to the seer might be a bit harder than they thought. He was about to turn to H'aanit to get her thoughts on the situation, but she had finished a conversation with one of the locals and was making her way to the bodyguard, a confident strut in her step that made his heartbeat quicken.

"Wait, she's not going to...?" he said, glancing down at Linde, who was lying on the ground next to him, watching her partner with great interest. She looked up at Cyrus for a moment and purred before turning her attention back to H'aanit.

His question was answered swiftly as H'aanit challenged the man to a sparring match, who responded with a small nod and nothing more. Sweat beaded on Cyrus' forehead as he gulped; this did not seem like a good idea. He had the utmost confidence in H'aanit's fighting abilities – especially since she began sparring with Olberic during their downtime traveling between towns – but he still did not like the idea of her potentially getting hurt. This man did not look like a pushover.

Holding his breath, he watched as H'aanit began the fight by charging at the man. She aimed a punch at his face, but it was blocked with ease as the man crossed his arms to intercept the blow. He then delivered a punch of his own, which connected with H'aanit's shoulder, causing her to step backwards, wincing in pain. Cyrus' hands clenched into fists at his sides as he bit his lip, barely resisting the urge to step in and help her. He was very glad that Ophilia had been teaching him how to use healing spells lately.

The man tried to rush H'aanit before she recovered, but she quickly ducked to dodge his second punch, and she went for an uppercut that hit the man under his chin. He grunted, but the hit wasn't quite enough to do him in. He grabbed her arm and pulled H'aanit into the air, over his shoulder, and he slammed her into the ground. She cried out in pain and Cyrus took an involuntary step towards her. He stopped in his tracks, however, when she got up and shot him a glare that said 'If you interfere with this fight you'll be next,' and he certainly did not want that.

Trying to catch her off guard, the man charged once more at H'aanit, his arms in position to try and grab her. She narrowed her eyes and ducked again, moving forward to slam her shoulder in to the man's chest. She wrapped her arms around his right leg, stood up, and fell backwards, slamming the man into the ground with her full weight coming down on top of him. She quickly jumped off of him, and he lay on the ground, dazed and panting heavily. H'aanit placed a foot on his chest and grinned.

"It appears that thou hast lost." she said. Cyrus' jaw hung open in a mixture of shock and sheer admiration. He suddenly felt very warm, even though the winds had picked up and were blowing snow all over the place. It whipped around H'aanit, tossing about her loose strands of hair, and when she moved to push the hairs behind her ear, her eyes met his and she smiled. Cyrus inhaled sharply and could only stare at her, dumbstruck. She was, without a doubt, the most amazing woman that he'd ever met. He started walking towards her, but the door to the seer's house opened and an old woman emerged, her laughter piercing through the cold night air.

"Oh dear, what has this boy gotten himself into?" she said, looking at H'aanit with a toothy grin on her face. "Do be a dear and have Linde help him into the house, H'aanit. Bring your scholarly-looking friend too." Before H'aanit and Cyrus could ask any questions – and they had many – she turned around and went back inside. They looked at each other, confused, before H'aanit shrugged and pulled one of the man's arms over her shoulder while Cyrus did the same. They dragged him into the house after her, and H'aanit hoped that she would have the answers that she sought.

* * *

"Amazing! I thought that herb-of-grace was gone from this world." Cyrus said as they left Susanna's home. "Countless botanists have written about it's extinction. It is quite the miracle that it grows in such wintry wastes. I am ever so grateful that I embarked on this journey. Who knows what other discoveries are out there in the world, just waiting to be found!"

H'aanit chuckled as Cyrus rambled on excitedly. "It pleaseth me that you aren enjoying thyself so much, Cyrus." she said. He turned to look at her and smiled with a twinkle in his eyes, causing her to blush. She found it hard to maintain her composure around him when he got in these giddy moods that were brought upon when he found a chance to expand his knowledge. He just looked so...cute.

"H'aanit? Are you too cold? You're face is a most rosy shade of red." Cyrus said, a concerned frown crossing his face. That fur scarf that she wore did look quite warm, but he noticed just now that her arms were bare, and probably quite chilly. H'aanit quickly shook her head and averted her gaze.

"N-nay, I am fine." she said, but she ended up shivering when a gust of wind suddenly blew by them. Cyrus shook his head and his hands went to the fastening of his coat. He removed it, moved to stand in front of her, and he wrapped his coat around her and secured it snugly.

"There we go! Can't have you getting sick now, can we?" he said, smiling down at her as he placed his hands on her arms, rubbing them gently to help transfer the heat that still lingered to her. She looked up and their eyes met, and Cyrus was suddenly aware that their faces were very, very close to each other.

"Uh..." he choked out, suddenly frozen in place. She was staring at him with wide eyes, air passing between her slightly-parted lips in quick, short breaths, visible to him due to how cold the outside air was. He was at a loss at what to do.

H'aanit stared up at Cyrus, keenly aware of how close they were, as she could feel his breath against her face as he exhaled. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and her tongue poked out, swiping over her lips to wet them. She saw Cyrus' eyes pass over her face for a moment before locking with hers again. She really, really wished that she could tell what he was thinking right now, because it was most certainly not the same as what she was. Because at this moment, the only thing on her mind was to wonder what his lips would feel like pressed against hers. Slowly, as if she was being pulled by a magnetic attraction, she leaned upwards.

Cyrus' heart was pounding so hard that he thought it was going to burst out of his chest. He was at a loss at what she could possibly be thinking right now. His face grew hot as he watched H'aanit lick her lips, and he found himself wondering what those beautiful lips tasted like. Wait, what? What kind of thought was that? Cyrus' eyes went wide with panic, and he suddenly noticed that H'aanit's face was drawing closer to his. Was she going to...? He felt his eyes start to slip shut as his face moved towards hers in response, closer and closer, until-

...they were forced apart when Linde suddenly jumped in between them, meowing loudly as she shook the snow from her fur, flinging it onto Cyrus and H'aanit.

"L-Linde!" H'aanit yelled, groaning as she quickly wiped away a freezing chunk of snow that had landed on her face. Cyrus blinked for a moment before laughing as he brushed the snow from his shirt.

"Always a troublemaker, aren't you?" Cyrus said as he pet the snow leopard on the head, and she purred happily in response. Cyrus and H'aanit smiled and looked at each other, and they both suddenly remembered what Linde had interrupted, and they both quickly looked away.

"Ahem...well, we should go find the others now..." Cyrus said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. What...what had just happened between them? His face was hot, his thoughts were whirring madly in his head, and a lump had formed in his throat. He just...could not make heads or tails of his feelings right now.

"In-Indeed..." H'aanit managed to stammer out, and she quickly turned and started walking towards the tavern, her face burning like someone had set it on fire. Thank the gods that Linde had interrupted when she did. What the hell was she thinking? She had just tried to _kiss_ Cyrus. She was afraid that she had just made things incredibly awkward between them. A heavy silence fell between them as they headed down the street.

They reached the tavern, and H'aanit smiled when she saw Primrose and Alfyn dancing up on the large stage in the front of the room, glad for the distraction. Alfyn looked rather dashing in the dancer outfit that Primrose had found for him, and it was in his favorite color too. When the song that they were dancing to came to an end, the two left the stage, Alfyn returning to his table to nurse his mug of ale, and Primrose making a bee-line to H'aanit and Cyrus.

"Ah, good. You two are finally here." she said, and H'aanit managed to pick up a mischievous glint in her eyes, causing the huntress to raise a suspicious eyebrow. She grabbed H'aanit's arm and pulled her towards the stage, leaving a confused Cyrus behind.

"Weren are we going?" H'aanit asked as Primrose directed her backstage and into a dressing room of some sort. Primrose smiled and reached into a bag that was sitting on a chair, pulling out a black dancer outfit.

"Here, put this on." she said. H'aanit blinked at the clothing in her hands for a moment before looking back up at Primrose, confused. The dancer rolled her eyes.

"You and Cyrus wanted dancing lessons, right? Well, the lessons start tonight, and you certainly must look the part."

"This...seems a little...revealing foren my tastes..." H'aanit said slowly as she examined the large slit in the skirt of the outfit. A light blush rose on her cheeks as Cyrus immediately popped into her mind. She was unsure of how he would react seeing her in this, and she frowned, annoyed that this was bothering her so much.

"Don't worry, H'aanit. Cyrus will most certainly like what he'll see." Primrose said, practically reading H'aanit's mind. She laughed when H'aanit sputtered with embarrassment. "I also bought him an outfit, so I'm sure he won't be the only one caught ogling." she continued, winking at the huntress.

H'aanit opened her mouth to protest, but closed it and averted her gaze bashfully, while her dancer friend moved behind her to play with her hair. Primrose...was probably right, as much as H'aanit wanted to deny it. Cyrus normally dressed rather modestly, and was usually adorned in his trademark scholarly attire, which consisted of many layers of fancy clothing. It left a lot to the imagination, and she sometimes found herself wondering what he looked like under all of those layers...

She didn't like where her thoughts were going, and she covered her now beet-red face with her hands. She already managed to make their interactions awkward enough. She didn't want to make it worse.

"Wait," Primrose said suddenly, eyes widening as she bushed her hand over the collar of Cyrus' coat. H'aanit had forgotten that she was still wearing it. "Why are you wearing this?"

"Err, well..." H'aanit said, averting her gaze as she chewed on her lip. "Cyrus thoughten I looked cold and lenten it to me...and then, uh..." She rung her hands together, trying to decide what to say.

"And then what, did something happen between you too?" Primrose questioned, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Um, I mighten have, possibly, almost...kissed him."

Silence fell between them as Primrose blinked at H'aanit, and the huntress pursed her lips as she blushed madly. Gods, this was embarrassing. A large smile then slowly spread across Primrose's face as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Almost? Why almost?"

"Linde interrupted...thankfully. I did not wanten to ruin our friendship by doing something so impulsive and-"

"Oh please." Primrose interrupted, rolling her eyes and sighing, "If anything it would have opened the possibility of a deeper relationship for you two. Cyrus is as dense as can be, but having a beautiful woman's lips on his would have been a sign that even he couldn't ignore." Primrose laughed as H'aanit's face took on a mortified look. "Hurry and change so that I can fix your hair."

H'aanit obliged and quickly shed her normal clothes and slipped on the dancer outfit. It was surprisingly comfortable and the fabric was light. She pulled on the long gloves and found that they were rather sung around her muscular upper arms. As she slipped on the shoes, Primrose came up behind her and started undoing her braid.

"I think I made a good color choice. Do you like it?" Primrose asked, brushing out H'aanit's long locks of hair.

"Aye." H'aanit responded, giving Primrose a quizzical look as she slipped something into her hair on the right side of her head. She looked at the mirror that was across the room and saw that it was a feather hairpiece, one that matched her earrings. Once Primrose was done fussing with her hair, she gave H'aanit and once over and smiled.

"You look absolutely stunning. If Cyrus hasn't fallen for you yet, he's sure to once he sees you." Primrose said. H'aanit managed a small smile. She did appreciate that Primrose was trying to help her out.

"I thanketh thee, Primrose. You do not needeth to helpen me, but I am most grateful."

"Ha!" Primrose barked out a laugh, "You're welcome, but you really, really do need the help. You're almost as clueless as Cyrus, after all." The dancer laughed again when H'aanit pouted at her, and she took her friend's hand.

"Come. Alfyn should have wrangled Cyrus into his outfit by now. Let's head to the stage."

H'aanit nodded and they proceeded to the brightly lit stage. She was thankful that there wasn't too large of a crowd in the tavern; just their group of friends and a few others. The nervousness that H'aanit felt slowly eased up, and she took a deep, calming breath.

"A-Alfyn? Surely this is not necessary? This outfit is inappropriate for a professional scholar such as-"

"Aw, shucks Cyrus! Lighten up a bit, would ya?"

H'aanit turned to find Alfyn practically dragging Cyrus onto the stage, and her eyes widened as they met Cyrus'. His dancer outfit was also black like hers, and she wondered if Primrose had planned that. Her eyes wandered over him, lingering over his bare arms and abdomen, and that nervousness that she had kept at bay returned with a vengeance.

Cyrus was about to continue his argument with Alfyn, but when his eyes met H'aanit's, all the protests died on his tongue as his jaw dropped. She looked... _absolutely stunning_. He had to blink a few times to make sure that it was indeed H'aanit standing there, with her gorgeous long locks of hair flowing freely down her back, and the black dancer outfit she wore showing off her exceptionally toned body. He suddenly felt very warm, and his heart was hammering rapidly inside of his chest.

"Cyrus, it is rude to gape at a woman." Primrose said, chuckling as she pulled H'aanit over to him. Alfyn laughed with her, and Cyrus snapped his jaw shut and cleared his throat. H'aanit cracked a smile, and when Cyrus looked at her, he automatically smiled back and laughed sheepishly.

"Ah, yes, I am truly sorry, H'aanit." he apologized.

"'Tis alright."

"Let us being this lesson, shall we?" Primrose said, walking up to Alfyn. He grinned and took one of her hands in his, while his other one went to her waist. "Watch us for a bit, and then you two can try." H'aanit and Cyrus watched silently as the pair began to dance. They made it look so easy, but H'aanit knew that a certain amount of gracefulness was needed to succeed at dancing with ease. And grace was something that she, and Cyrus especially, lacked. This was going to be rather interesting.

"Think you two can give it a go?" Primrose said after she and Alfyn finished their dance. Cyrus and H'aanit nodded and glanced at each other. Cyrus cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks heat up as he offered his hand to H'aanit.

"May I have this dance, H'aanit?" he asked, hoping that she wouldn't notice how much his hand was shaking.

"Aye, of course." H'aanit responded, smiling as she took his hand. He was shaking a bit, but she honestly wasn't fairing much better. Her stomach was doing somersaults inside of her, and she feared that her palms might be sweating a bit. She hoped that he wouldn't notice.

Placing his other hand on her waist, Cyrus had to resist the urge to brush his fingers over her incredibly toned abs. What an embarrassing thing to think about doing. The effect that she had on him was maddening. Who could have guessed that he would have been attracted to such a thing? He felt that it had to do with the person that these toned muscles belonged to.

"Err, Cyrus? I thinken thou is supposed to be leading the dance?" H'aanit's voice snapped him back to reality and he let out a nervous laugh.

"Ah, yes, of course. Let's see here..." he said quickly, and he began trying to dance along with the music. He was finding it hard to keep his steps in time with the beat, and it seemed that his feet always stepped where H'aanit's were.

H'aanit winced as Cyrus stepped on her foot for the third time. Well, it's not like she hadn't seen this coming. She wasn't dancing much better. She kept on leaning away from where he was leading her, knocking them both off balance and causing them to stumble over each other.

"S-sorry..."

"Ack! Oh dear..."

When Cyrus tried to step backwards, he stumbled over his own feet and started falling, yanking H'aanit's arm so hard that she yelped and tumbled over, falling directly on top of him as he fell on his back. H'aanit lay with her face pressed to his chest for a moment, stunned, until she felt his hands press against her cheeks.

"Oh, are you alright?" he asked. She raised her head and found him staring at her with concern in his eyes. Her face was hot under his hands, and she felt herself trembling slightly, and she wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or excitement from the fact that she was currently lying on top of the incredibly attractive man that she was so incredibly infatuated with.

"I-I am fine." she said quickly, regaining her senses and scrambling off of him. Cyrus sat up and cleared his throat, turning his head away to hopefully hide the redness in his cheeks and the absolutely goofy smile that was plastered on his face. Having H'aanit lying on top of him like that left him all sorts of hot and bothered, and his legs felt weak as he stood up.

"Just...just stop there. My gods..." Primrose said, groaning as she smacked a palm over her face. "You two are just...I'm sorry, but you two are awful." H'aanit cringed and Cyrus scratched at his chin and dropped his gaze to the floor. Alfyn laughed.

"Ah shucks, don't look so defeated guys. Y'all are good at other things. Dancing just doesn't seem to be y'all's strong point." he said, walking over and patting each of their arms reassuringly. "I gotta say though, you two make quite a pair. Who knew that the smartest and strongest of us would also be the clumsiest?" He laughed again, and Primrose joined in.

"Yes, yes, I see your point quite clearly." Cyrus said as he looked back up from the floor. His eyes wandered to H'aanit, who was grinning at him with twitching lips, and she finally let the laughter that she was trying to hold back spill out. Cyrus was stunned for a moment when her beautiful laughter hit his ears, but he soon recovered and laughed along with her.

"Ah, H'aanit," Cyrus said when the laughing had ceased. "I am sorry about stepping on you so much. I did not anticipate how terrible I would be at dancing." She chuckled and shook her head.

"Nay, I should be apologizing too. You weren trying to deal with my missteps. I haven a hard time stepping in time with the rhythm." H'aanit said with a shrug.

"Yes, I guess we should both stick to what we are good at. Or at least get some individual lessons from Primrose before trying to dance together again."

"Agreed."

Cyrus smiled and walked to the edge of the stage, stepping off it to the tavern floor and offering a hand to H'aanit.

"Here, let me help you down." he said, and H'aanit quickly walked over and placed her hand in his. She grabbed his shoulder while he supported her waist with his free hand. She dropped from the stage and landed lightly on her feet with Cyrus' help.

"I thanketh thee." H'aanit said, tilting her head up to look him in the eyes. Her hand was still grasping his, and she wished she could hold onto it forever. They both stood there silently for a moment before Cyrus awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, would you like a drink, H'aanit? Let me buy you some ale to make up for stepping on you so much." he said as he let go of her hand and removed his other one from her waist. His heart was beating so fast, just from a seemingly innocent touch. Was...was this what it was like to be falling in love with someone? He clenched his jaw and shook his head. No...he couldn't call it that, not yet anyway. He needed more data to analyze before forming his conclusions.

"Er, Cyrus? Didst thou hear me?"

"Huh?"

Cyrus was snapped from his thoughts as H'aanit tilted her head curiously at him.

"Oh! M-my apologies! I just...zoned out a bit there." he said quickly, feeling his face heat up as he laughed sheepishly.

"I said that we should make haste and getten some ale quickly, beforen Alfyn and Olberic drinken it all." she said, chuckling as she pointed to the table where the two men were drinking and causing quite the ruckus. Cyrus noted the many, many empty mugs littering the table and sighed.

"Indeed. Oh dear, I do hope that they don't get us kicked out of yet another tavern..." Cyrus said, coaxing a laugh out of H'aanit. They made their way to the table and partied the night away along with their friends, and the warmth that they both felt was not just because of the ale that they were drinking.

* * *

Cyrus had wondered why the herb-of-grace had disappeared for such a long time, and he concluded that it had something to do with a _dragon_ living in the only place that it grew. Anyone foolish enough to stumble into the deadly beast's lair just for a bunch of flora was asking for an early trip to the grave.

And yet, here he was, fighting said dragon alongside Primrose and Olberic, with H'aanit fiercely leading the charge. It was a hard fight, but it was slowly coming to an end. Cyrus quickly cast a heal on a struggling Olberic, who was successfully keeping the dragon's attention away from the rest of them. He was quite thankful that Ophilia had took the time to teach him some healing magic. It was turning out to be quite useful.

Cyrus caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head. H'aanit was quickly climbing up a large rock formation that towered right over where Olberic was leading the dragon, and Cyrus quickly deduced what she was about to do. Without a moments hesitation, he whipped out a lightning tomb and sent two bolts of lighting raining down on the dragon in quick succession. The beast roared as the lighting hit, stunning it for a few moments.

Those few moments were all that H'aanit needed, as she had reached the top of the rocks by the time Cyrus had cast the spell. She readied her ax and let out a war cry, before leaping from the top of the rocks towards the dragon. She held her ax in front of her and let gravity do the work as the blade sliced through the exposed, soft flesh of the dragon's neck and continued to slice all the way down to its chest. Letting out a blood curdling screech, the dragon swayed in place for a moment, until it leaned forward and fell hard to the ground, never to rise again.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Cyrus suddenly realized that he had lost sight of H'aanit, and panic rose inside of him as he ran towards the dragon. He hoped that it hadn't fallen on her. He had nothing to worry about, however, as H'aanit suddenly appeared. She climbed atop the fallen dragon's back, panting heavily as her ax hung at her side, dripping with fresh blood. She lifted an arm to wipe the sweat from her face, and she left behind a streak of blood across her forehead.

Cyrus stood in the snow, gaping up at H'aanit with wide eyes and his jaw hanging open in shock. He had never seen such magnificently spectacular sight in his entire life. It was like the heavens opened up and dropped a war goddess into their midst. A realization suddenly hit him, like a sucker punch to the gut. He now knew precisely what he felt for her, and exactly how deep his confusing feeling ran. He did not need any more data to come up with the conclusion that he had been denying was true all this time.

He, Cyrus, was undeniably, inexplicably, head-over-heels in love with H'aanit.

"Cyrus? Ist thou okay?"

It took Cyrus a few moments of blinking before he snapped back to reality, and the most beautiful woman in the world was now standing in front of him, eyes narrowed with concern. Cyrus cleared his throat and nodded. He swallowed hard to try and chase the dryness from his mouth.

"Y-yes, I am quite alright." he stammered, trying and failing to keep himself from taking short, quick breaths to try and stop his heart from hammering so hard in his chest. H'aanit must have noticed, because she placed a hand on his shoulder and used her free hand to check his pulse at his neck. He flinched at the touch, so warm and soft against his skin, and he thought that he might pass out right then and there.

"Aren thou certain? Thou ist very red in thy face, and thy pulse ist very fast."

"Ah, it's nothing! I-I'm just...amazing that you were able to fell a dragon! You-you are so wonderful, H'aanit." The words spilled from his mouth without much thought being put into them, and his heart skipped a beat when she smiled brightly at him.

"I thanketh thee for thine praise. I could not have doneth it without you, though." she said, her smile morphing into a grin. "And I am glad that you aren not hurt. I would haten to have to carry you back to town again." He smiled at the teasing tone of her voice, and had to concentrate hard to keep himself from sighing deeply out of admiration.

"If you two are done shamelessly flirting over there," Primrose said, causing both Cyrus and H'aanit to sputter and blush madly, "Olberic could use some of that healing magic, Cyrus."

"Ah, yes, of course." he said, nodding as he turned to head over to the exhausted warrior. He paused, and turned back to H'aanit, digging around in his pockets.

"Here, H'aanit. You can, ah, use this to clean the blood from your face if you'd like." Cyrus said, holding out a handkerchief to her. She blinked and took it slowly.

"Aren you sure tis okay to bloody this?"

"Ah, yes. I-I know a few ways to clean blood from fabric, so you need not worry." Cyrus said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. He turned away and went to tend to Olberic's wounds, leaving H'aanit standing there, blushing madly with her heart hammering loudly in her chest. She slowly wiped the handkerchief across her face as she watched him walk away, stopping the fabric over her nose as she breathed in his scent. Hmm...cedar? It was a nice smell, and she felt that it suited him. She finished cleaning her face and noticed a patch of herb-of-grace growing in the snow, and she unfortunately had to push Cyrus from her mind for a bit as she gathered what she needed of it and they all headed back to town. She was eager to see Susanna and learn how to defeat Redeye and save her master.

* * *

Cyrus watched from outside the tavern as H'aanit conversed with Susanna and Alaic. His eyes were narrowed, and an uncharacteristic scowl was plastered on his face. He did not like how that man was looking at H'aanit, the stranger's eyes filled with longing and admiration. It made his stomach turn in a way that it had never before, and Cyrus was at a loss at what this feeling was. It was driving him mad.

"Golly, Cyrus, I reckon your face is gonna get stuck like that if you keep up that look." Alfyn said as he appeared from inside the tavern, a knowing smile on his face.

"Indeed. Jealousy is a surprising look on you, my friend." Olberic said, a deep chuckle escaping him as he came to stand beside Alfyn.

"J-Jealous? Preposterous!" Cyrus said, sputtering unconvincingly as his face flushed and he adverted his gaze in shame. He looked back at H'aanit and watched as she placed a hand on Alaic's shoulder, and Cyrus traded his scowl for a menacing glare instead.

Olberic laughed outright at that and shook his head. "That glare tells me otherwise, Cyrus. You finally realized you love H'aanit, didn't you?"

Cyrus was silent for a moment before he sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "I-Yes. Yes, I am so deeply in love with her, and I do not have the faintest idea of what to do about it." he said, sighing dejectedly.

"Aw, shucks." Alfyn said, smiling as he shook his head. "You're overthinking it. Just tell her how you feel. It's that simple."

Simple. This seemed anything but simple. Cyrus looked towards H'aanit again and when he thought about telling her how he felt, and wave of dread coursed through him. What if she didn't feel the same? What if it creeped her out and she never spoke to him again? The unknowns of the situation scared him.

"You should take your own advice, lad." Olberic teased, slapping a hand to Alfyn's back.

"Er, but, ah..." Alfyn said, adverting his gaze as he fidgeted with his hands. Olberic laughed and put an arm around the apothecary's shoulder, dragging him back inside the tavern.

"Good luck, Cyrus!" Olberic said before he disappeared inside. Cyrus tilted his head, confused, until he turned around and found H'aanit standing behind him, a small smile on her face. Cyrus jumped in surprise, and she chuckled.

"Thou ist rather jumpy lately, Cyrus. Aren you feeling unwell?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He gulped and rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous pit forming in his stomach. _'Just tell her.'_ Was it really that easy?

"Uh, H'aanit? I, um...Well, you see...Uh..." Cyrus said, stumbling over his words as she tried to meet her gaze, but his eyes avoided contact with hers. This...might be harder than Alfyn had insinuated.

"Cyrus?" Her voice was soft, concerned. He probably sounded like a complete dunce, so he had to say something.

"I just...wanted to say that...you-you looked rather r-resplendent in your dancer attire yesterday. I-I don't think I told you t-that yet." Cyrus said, feeling like his cheeks we on fire. Gods, what an utterly embarrassing thing to say out of the blue. Only H'aanit could reduce him to nothing more than a stuttering fool. She really did have a tight hold on his heart.

"O-oh. T-thanketh thee..." H'aanit responded, a shy smile crossing her face as she averted her gaze. "Thou also looked very, er, handsome." Cyrus watched her feet shift back and forth a bit; he hoped he hadn't made her uncomfortable by saying that.

"Oh, I spoketh to a Knight Ardante. He toldeth me wheren to find Redeye." she said quickly, and Cyrus was incredibly glad for the change of subject. "'Tis in Marsalim, in the Sunlands. I thought we could goen there afteren we stop by Stoneguard again."

"Excellent. We shall do just that. We will save your master, H'aanit. Do not worry." Cyrus said, and he was glad when she smiled at him and nodded.

"Indeed. Thanketh thee. I...I really am glad I meten thee, Cyrus. You are a special man." she said. She blinked for a moment and then coughed, gesturing to the door of the tavern.

"Er, we should probably goen join our friends. We haven a dragon kill to celebrate." she said quickly, turning and walking quickly into the tavern without another word. Cyrus watched as she disappeared inside, and he groaned and smacked himself on the forehead. Blazes, this confessing one's feelings ordeal was going to be much harder than he thought. And he thought it was going to be hard to begin with. With a deep sigh, he entered the tavern to join his friends. At least he had the trip to Stoneguard to think about how to go about this confession thing. And he would have to do a lot of thinking.

* * *

Alternate chapter title: Cyrus gets a figurative boner when H'aanit wins a brawl and fucking murders a dragon. That almost kiss scene was something I did not have planned for this chapter, but it just happened and there it is lol Anyway, this may be the last chapter update for about a month, because I am an idiot and going to be participating in NaNoWriMo again this year, and hopefully actually winning this time lol (but probably not because I am a procrastinating dummy). Same goes for my AlfPrim fic as well. Thank y'all for reading!


	6. Jealousy

H'aanit thought that she would have liked the city of Stoneguard, if she had been visiting it under better circumstances. She found herself liking the Highlands more and more every time that they passed through them, and she made a mental note to return when she wasn't so weighed down by her heavy responsibilities. For now, she would have to focus on saving her master.

However, she was finding it hard to stay focused, as her exponentially growing feelings for Cyrus were becoming harder and harder to push to the back of her mind. Plus, she was now concerned about the fact that he had been acting very odd ever since they left Stillsnow.

H'aanit frowned as the group finally reached the top of the steps that led into Stoneguard, her eyes locked onto Cyrus as he gazed around, a serious look on his face as he conversed with Olberic and Alfyn. She had always found it easy to speak to Cyrus. Even after she had realized how deeply her feeling ran for him, she had managed to hide them well and continue to act as if nothing had changed. But this leg of their journey was different. It was like he was...avoiding her? When she would try to talk to him, he would not meet her gaze and came up with some excuse to leave, whether it was to look up something important in one of his books or to do another check of their supplies. It had made her sad.

And yet, there were other times where he would suddenly walk up to her, looking determined as he spoke only to become flustered and mumble incoherently under his breath before running off to occupy himself with something else. There was even a time where they both found themselves oddly alone at the campfire, and H'aanit almost let her feelings spill out to him right then. Before she could, though, Cyrus had stood up and turned dramatically, opened his mouth to say something, only to stumble backwards. He would have fallen into the fire had H'aanit not caught his arm in time, but his coat had dipped into the flames and caught on fire, causing quite a fiasco as they tried to put it out. He then quickly retired to bed, saying that he'd probably kill himself with his clumsiness if he stayed up any longer that night. H'aanit would not have been surprised, to be honest.

A deep sigh escaped from H'aanit as she stroked the fur on Linde's head absentmindedly, which caused the snow leopard to purr happily. She had been racking her brain for this whole trip, trying to come up with a logical explanation for his behavior, but so far she had not been successful. The only thing that she had dared to guess is that maybe he had found out how she felt about him and didn't feel the same way, thus making things awkward between them. Her stomach dropped at the thought. She wanted to ask him directly how he felt about her, but she froze up every time she tried. It was infuriating.

H'aanit looked up to see that Olberic and Alfyn had parted ways with Cyrus, leaving the scholar to inspect some street signs to figure out where to begin his search. H'aanit bit her lip and averted her gaze. He probably didn't want her to join him this time. She would probably just get in the way, and with the way he'd been acting, it seemed like he'd rather not have her around. She turned and took a step in the direction of the tavern, where the rest of their companions were probably gathering.

"Oh, H'aanit, where are you going?"

She stopped mid step and turned to find Cyrus staring at her, his head cocked to one side curiously. H'aanit felt her cheeks grow hot. Had he always been this cute and she was just that oblivious all this time? Gods, she was such a fool. She cleared her throat and rubbed at her arms.

"I, er, was going to joineth the others at the tavern." she said simply. Her heart clenched at the disappointed look that crossed his face, his lips twitching as if he was holding back from frowning.

"Oh, well...I was hoping...er, never mind. Do enjoy yourself then." he said, his voice quieter than normal, and he hung his head as he turned away. H'aanit grit her teeth, pondering about what to do, when Linde purred and bounded over to Cyrus, stopping him as she rubbed against his legs. H'aanit smiled, grateful to have such a smart and stalwart companion.

"Waiten, Cyrus." she said as she walked up next to him. "I...I willst joineth you, if you wanten me to. I do not wisheth to be a bother." His face immediately lit up and he shook his head.

"Oh, you are never a bother! Perish the thought!" His hands fell to her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze, and H'aanit forgot how to breath for a moment. "You are one of my most cherished friends. I care for you deeply." H'aanit wanted to ask how deeply, but she held her tongue. Cyrus' eyes met hers and a blush rose in his cheeks as he released her shoulders. He turned away and pointed down the street.

"I do believe I will find what I need first at the bindery, where the book was, well, bound." he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

H'aanit nodded. "That soundeth like a good place to starten. Leadeth the way." she said, chuckling as she watched Linde prowl off ahead of them, stalking an unsuspecting butterfly. She turned to look back at Cyrus, who was silent and staring intensely back the way they came. She followed his gaze, but saw nothing of interest.

"Er, Cyrus? Ist everything alright?"

His eyes widened as he snapped back to reality and he shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing. Let us be off, then!" He smiled at her and they headed for the bindery. H'aanit took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach. Well, at least Cyrus still thought of her as his friend. That was good, but this just made H'aanit even more confused at his weird behavior.

The visit to the bindery was indeed a successful one, and they were off once again to find this Dominic fellow. They had found his house, and H'aanit winced when Cyrus tried to speak to the man outside his door and was immediately shut down. Getting him to talk was not going to be easy, it seemed. But if anyone could do it, it was Cyrus. He had a charisma that was rivaled by no one that she had ever met before. It was kind of scary, really, how easily he got information out of people.

"Hmm...I think we'll have to ask around and find out more about our friend Dominic." Cyrus said, shrugging. H'aanit smiled at him an nodded.

"Indeed. I haven faith in thy abilities of persuasion. Thine charm ist second to none." she said, and she chuckled when he flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, well, ah, t-thank you." he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head as he averted his gaze. H'aanit looked back at the door to Dominic's house, and the smile fell from her face as she chewed on her lip.

"Are you alright, H'aanit? You have a solemn look about you." Cyrus asked, his eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"I just...I wonderen why someone so highly regarded would turneth thy back on others. He...haden a suffering in his voice that maketh me thinke that he hath forsaken everything." She frowned. Something terrible must have befallen the poor man at some point in his life. Cyrus tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"You are suggesting that there is a reason for his behavior?"

"Perhaps. The life he hast led must hath been a hard one."

"Yes, quite. Something tragic may have befallen him." Cyrus deduced, and H'aanit nodded in agreement; he practically read her mind. "I must find out more. And I would like to help him if I can."

H'aanit smiled at that. Cyrus was a good man, and she had to commend her heart for choosing to fall for him. Her eyes met his and he smiled back at her, and the sight made her heart skip a beat. Gods, only he could cause a reaction in her over such a small thing. They were interrupted as an old woman shuffled up to them and cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Ah, pardon me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." she said, smiling sweetly. "You're trying to see ol' Dominic, eh?" She eyed up both H'aanit and Cyrus carefully before shaking her head. "Good luck with that. He's shut himself off from the world ever since his only daughter succumbed to sickness some fifteen years ago. 'Tis a shame, she was a sweet girl." H'aanit frowned slightly. Ah, that was it. It was understandable to her now as to why Dominic had sealed himself within his house. She glanced at Cyrus, and found him listening intently to the woman, nodding to himself as she went on.

"Apparently he took on a translating job to pay for his daughter's medicine. Obviously didn't work, the poor man, and it seems that he regrets taking that job to this day."

"I see." Cyrus said, and H'aanit could practically see the gears turning in his head. "I thank you for the explanation, ma'am."

"Oh, you're welcome, dear. Do be nice to poor Dominic. He has been through much hardship." she said, before bidding them farewell and heading on her way. H'aanit watched her go for a moment before turning back to Cyrus, who was staring at Dominic's house, his eyes narrowed and blazing with determination. H'aanit shifted on her feet and gazed at the ground. This was the part where she wasn't exactly helpful. She did not want to overwhelm Dominic by outnumbering him. She looked up to the sky, where the sun was high in the sky. Plus, she wanted to go and check up on Z'aanta and Hagen while there was still sunlight.

"Cyrus." she said, and his attention immediately turned to her. "I thinke you should speaketh to Dominic alone. I do not wanten him to be intimidated by us outnumbering him."

"Ah, yes, you do make a good point." he said, nodding slowly as he frowned. She smiled slightly, and she placed a hesitant hand on his arm. He tensed and averted his gaze, and she chuckled.

"I wisheth thy luck. I willst be paying master and Hagen a visit." she said, and she turned away as she started walking in the direction of the forest, and Linde fell into step next to her.

"H'aanit, wait."

She stopped and looked over her shoulder at Cyrus, who was wringing his hands together and his eyes were darting everywhere but to her own. She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting until his gaze met hers. He eventually did look her in the eye, and he raised a hand to his mouth as he cleared his throat.

"Um, well, I have something I would like to discuss with you. It is...of high importance." H'aanit's eyes widened as she listened silently as he went on. "Would you meet me at the tavern later? I shall be sure to show up promptly at sundown if that would be okay with you?"

"O-Of course." she stammered out, anxiety and excitement and fear and curiosity all building up within her in a conflicting conglomeration of emotions. What could possibly be that important to talk about? Was he...was he going to tell her how he felt about her? No, that can't be it. Cyrus probably had no idea that she had feelings for him, and it was foolish to think that he had even considered having feelings for her anyway. He had too many other, and more important, things to worry about.

"Splendid! Do be careful, H'aanit, and say hello to Hagen for me." Cyrus said, smiling as he waved a hand at her. She returned his smile and nodded before turning away and heading off with Linde, her smile fading immediately as she struggled to process the mess of thoughts buzzing in her head. She didn't know yet if she was looking forward to or dreading their impending conversation.

* * *

Cyrus watched H'aanit go, and he finally let out the breath that he had been holding. Sweat had beaded on his forehead and his heart hammered rapidly inside of his chest. Gods, would his heart ever stop racing when he looked at her? It was becoming quite the problem, as it was happening more and more frequently as he fell harder and harder for her. She was...just too beautiful and perfect.

He had decided quite impulsively that he would tell her how he felt tonight. He just hoped that he wouldn't freeze up...again. He had tried numerous times during their journey from Stillsnow to Stoneguard, but he had ended up just being a bumbling fool instead. He sighed and placed a hand over his face, hoping that the right words would come to him this time around.

"Ah, Cyrus, how goes your search?"

Letting his hand fall from his face, Cyrus looked up to find Olberic standing in front of him, holding a bag in one hand. He must be helping Alfyn or Tressa with their shopping.

"Ah, Olberic! It is going well so far. I know who to speak to, at least."

"Good, good. Where is H'aanit?"

"She went to check up on her master and his direwolf companion."

Olberic nodded silently, a small smile crossing his face. "I see. Are you going to try and tell her how you feel about her again?" Cyrus flushed and nodded as he fiddled with his collar.

"Er, yes, actually. I told her I wanted to speak to her tonight. It...was a rather impulsive thing, as I, um, don't really know what to say yet." he said, gulping nervously as he shifted on his feet. He really shouldn't have acted so rashly until he had a plan of how to confess his feelings to her. He was going to mess this up again, he could feel it.

Olberic chuckled and placed a hand on Cyrus' shoulder. "You are overthinking this, Cyrus. Just be honest with her. The worst that could happen is that she tells you she does not feel the same." Olberic wanted to tell Cyrus that he didn't have to worry about that, because everyone except for the two involved could tell that they were head-over-heels in love with each other. But he held his tongue; Cyrus needed to do this on his own.

Cyrus cringed and he took on a worried look as his eyes went to the ground. "You make it sound so easy, my friend. I just...do not want to ruin our friendship if she does not feel the same about me." he said softly. Indeed, what if he confessed to her and she rejected him, but also decided to cut off their friendship entirely? His heart sank just thinking about it.

"Well, sometimes you just have to take a chance. If she says yes, you get to be with the one that you love. Is that not worth the risk to you?" Olberic watched as Cyrus fidgeted with his coat for a moment, and he finally sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I believe it is. I want to be with her. I am so inexplicably crazy for her that I do not know what to do with myself." he said, earning a hardy laugh from the warrior.

"Good. I have faith in you, Cyrus. I shall leave you to your investigation, then. I must deliver these herbs to Alfyn." Olberic said, giving the bag that he held a light shake. "I do hope that I bought the right ones."

"I am sure you did. And thank you, Olberic. You are a good friend. I will be sure to buy you a drink tonight." he said as Olberic walked off towards the tavern.

"Aye! I'm looking forward to it!" he said over his shoulder, and Cyrus chuckled as he watched him go. He then took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He felt confident now, but he would have to push the impending confession from his mind for now, as he had to concentrate on getting Dominic to speak with him.

Plus, he also had to deal with the mystery person that had been following them since they left Quarrycrest...

* * *

The sky was a bright mix of reds and oranges when H'aanit returned to town, and she quickly made her way to the tavern, the mess of emotions that had plagued her earlier returning in full force. Linde padded along beside her, her head rubbing against H'aanit's side as if she sensed her partner's inner turmoil. H'aanit chuckled as she pet the snow leopard's head.

"Thanke thee, Linde. You aren most helpful. I feelen calmer already." H'aanit said, and Linde purred happily in response. They reached the tavern and she looked around, hoping to find Cyrus. Unfortunately, it seemed that he had not arrived yet. She turned and looked out the window, noting that the sky got darker and darker with every passing minute. Concern flooded through her as she turned back to the room, and she spotted Primrose and the rest of her companions seated at a table in the middle of the room. She made her way over to them and sat down in an empty seat next to Primrose.

"Ah, hello H'aanit. Where is Cyrus?" Primrose asked, pushing a full mug of ale in front of H'aanit. She stared at it for a moment before shrugging.

"I do not knoweth. We parted ways about midday. I went to check on Hagen and master." H'aanit said. Primrose must have sensed her anxiety, because she placed a hand over H'aanit's and gave her a small smile.

"I'm sure he is okay. Maybe his investigation is taking longer than he thought it would." Primrose said. H'aanit nodded slowly, but she was not convinced. Cyrus had said that what he wanted to discuss with her was very important. She could not picture him being late for anything important to him.

"I-I'm sure thou ist right. I will just have to waiten for him." H'aanit said as she took a small sip of her drink. She sat at the table only half-listening to the conversations happening around her, and she did not take another sip of her drink.

An hour had passed, and the moon was now sitting high and bright in the sky. H'aanit was really worried now, and she suddenly stood up from the table and briskly made her way to the door. Something was wrong. She could feel it. She needed to find Cyrus.

"Come, Linde." She didn't have to say it twice, as her partner was already at her side, growling deep from the back of her throat. Linde could also sense that something was amiss, and H'aanit trusted her judgment more than her own sometimes.

"H'aanit, where are you going?" Primrose called after her, but H'aanit didn't hear her as she walked out the door, breaking into a run as soon as she hit the streets. She had no idea where to start looking, so she picked a random direction and ran. She clenched her jaw and tried to stave away the panic that was welling up inside of her. Something told her that Cyrus had gotten himself into trouble yet again. He was too good at that.

H'aanit turned a corner and managed to spin out of the way just in time to avoid running into someone. She quickly apologized and started to run off again.

"W-Wait! D-Do you know Professor Albright?"

H'aanit planted her foot roughly on the ground to stop herself as she turned to the stranger, panting heavily as she looked at the stranger with wide eyes. She was looking at a young, silver-haired woman, probably around Tressa's age, dressed in similar garb to what Cyrus wore. Another scholar?

"Yes, I knowen Cyrus." she said, eyeing the woman warily. "Doest thou know wheren he is?" The woman nodded quickly, and the fear in her eyes did not ease H'aanit's worry.

"I-I think so. He-He's in danger." she said, and Linde suddenly growled and ran off, up the stairs leading to the upper quarter of Stoneguard. H'aanit and the woman exchanged a look before quickly running to catch up.

"Who are you?" H'aanit questioned as they ran.

"My name is Therese. I'm one of Professor Albright's students." she said, stopping for a moment to catch her breath. H'aanit looked up and noted the direction that Linde was running in, before she urged Therese to keep moving.

"I am H'aanit. How didst thou knowen that I knew Cyrus?" she asked. "And what do you know about the danger that he is in?"

"I-I saw you leave Atlasdam with him." she said, and she gulped nervously. "I found out that Headmaster Yvon is planning on having him killed." H'aanit paled at her words as she listened to Therese recount what she had overheard Yvon plotting with his assistant. The all-too familiar fear of possibly loosing someone close to her returned in full force as she clenched her jaw. She would not let them hurt Cyrus, not while she still drew breath.

"Gods..." H'aanit, cursing as they reached the top of the steps, hoping that they were not too late. She looked around as Therese caught her breath again, and she spotted Linde waiting in front of what looked to be an abandoned house.

"Good girl, Linde." H'aanit said when they approached the house. H'aanit shared a glance with Therese before she pushed the door open. They stepped inside and she looked around. It was a large house, decorated with red and gold carpets and wallpaper, and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. But H'aanit noticed footprints on the floor, and they looked like they were left their recently. It seems that Therese had been right. H'aanit looked behind her to see that the younger woman was looking around, her fear obvious in her wide eyes and shaking hands.

Linde growled and ran further into the room, and H'aanit and Therese quickly followed. The snow leopard stopped in the middle of the floor and began pawing at the carpet. H'aanit knelt down next to her and felt around, and her fingers slipped under the latched of a hidden trapdoor. She grit her teeth and grunted as she lifted the heavy door and let it fall to the floor next to the hole. She watched as Therese poked her head over the hole.

"Professor? Professor Albright?" H'aanit held her breath as she waited, and hoped, for a response.

"T-That voice...could it be?" his familiar voice echoed up to the two women, and H'aanit breathed a sigh of relief. H'aanit then turned to Linde.

"Goen and fetch Alfyn. Just in case he needeth medical attention." Linde purred in response and ran off to do what she was told.

"I'll lower a rope!" Therese said as H'aanit looked back at her. She rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a long rope, and she struggled to unravel it. H'aanit chuckled and gently took the rope from Therese, leaving the younger woman looking confused. H'aanit was no stranger to handling rope; she had been making traps with it for as long as she could remember. She tied one end to one of the pillars in the room and gave the other to Therese, who smiled and said thanks, and she lowered the rope down to where Cyrus was trapped.

"Alright, I've got it!" he yelled up to them, and H'aanit felt him give the rope a tug. Therese glanced back at H'aanit and they nodded at each other before they both started pulling. Therese seemed to be struggling, so H'aanit clenched her jaw and pulled harder to help her out. Soon enough, Cyrus' arms reached over the edge of the pit and Therese ran over to pull him up to safety.

Cyrus took in a deep breath and got to his feet. He really needed to stop getting into these kinds of situations. But, more importantly, what in blazes was Therese doing here? He looked from her to H'aanit and smiled. He was glad that they were both all right.

"Oh, Professor! I'm so glad you're safe!" Therese exclaimed, before suddenly wrapping her arms around Cyrus and hugging him. H'aanit's eyes narrowed at the sight, and a tightness formed in her chest. This...was a new feeling. And she did not like it one bit. When he smiled down at her, H'aanit bit her lip and looked down at the floor. She felt like she had been punched in the gut. Was she...jealous? Therese was just his student. There was no logical reason for these feelings. So why did it still hurt? Her mind was whirring with those thoughts as Therese explained the situation to Cyrus, and he seemed to have gotten at least some of that information already from his captors.

"H'aanit?"

She blinked and looked up, finding Cyrus standing in front of her. He smiled and pulled her into a sudden hug, which caused her eyes to go wide with shock. Her face flushed, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you for rescuing me. And for looking out for my student." he said as he pulled away. She looked up at his handsome face, her eyes locking on his. She wanted to say something, but the words were caught in her throat.

"That's quite enough."

H'aanit's knee-jerk reaction to the unknown, yet sinister voice was to shove Cyrus away from her as hard as she could. She was glad that she did so, for a second later she was sent flying off of her feet as a powerful wind spell hit her. She cried out in pain as she slammed hard into a pillar, and she felt her shoulder pop out of place. She slid to the ground and cried out again as white hot pain shot though her, and her eyes welled up with tears as she took in some ragged breaths.

"H'aanit!" Cyrus yelled, eyes widened with fear as he moved towards her, but he was stopped when Therese shrieked. As he turned back towards her, H'aanit saw an anger blazing in his eyes that she had not seen from him before. The man who had cast the wind spell had a hold of Therese by her neck, and he pulled her roughly to his side, a wicked laugh echoing in the empty house.

"Let her go, Yvon!" Cyrus said, his hands balling into fists at his side. H'aanit panted heavily and winced as another wave of pain coursed through her. So this was his headmaster? He certainly had a sinister look about him, mostly due to his unnerving red eyes, which were narrowed into a heated glare. He taunted Cyrus a bit before disappearing in a flash of blue smoke with his hostage. H'aanit closed her eyes and sighed. She would have to get herself out of here it seemed, Cyrus couldn't waste time tending to her...

H'aanit's eyes shot back open when she felt a hand fall onto her uninjured shoulder, and she looked up to see Cyrus kneeling before her.

"Cyrus," she said, frowning at him, "Leaven me. Thou should be chasing aftern Therese."

"I-I will not leave you here, H'aanit." he said, shaking his head as he examined her dislocated shoulder. She winced as he brushed it lightly with his fingers, and he grimaced.

"Can you pop it back in?" he asked, looking at her with concern in his eyes. She nodded. This was not the first time she had dislocated a shoulder. The first time had been on a hunting trip with her master, where she slipped on some uneven rocks and fell shoulder-first on the ground. She had to pop it back in that time as well, until they could get back to a village and find an apothecary.

Taking a deep breath, H'aanit pushed herself to her feet with her good arm, and Cyrus grabbed her good shoulder as she stumbled a bit. She steadied herself and eyed the pillar before holding her breath and slamming her shoulder into it again, popping it back where it was supposed to be. She managed to stifle her pained cry this time, and it came out more as a strangled groan. Taking in a few deep breaths, she let Cyrus help her sit back down on the floor.

"Hold still." he said, and she obliged, not really wanting to move and cause herself more pain anyway. He held his hands over her shoulder and his face scrunched up with concentration. His hand started glowing with a white light, and H'aanit's shoulder suddenly felt very warm. She sighed as the pain slowly faded, and a dull numbness was left in its place.

"Thou ist getting better at thine healing magic." H'aanit commented, a small smile crossing her face as he chuckled.

"Indeed. I am grateful that Ophilia took the time to teach me." he said, lowering his hands when he was done healing her. He offered her his hand and she took it. He pulled her to her feet, but he didn't let go and instead pulled her into a tight hug, again.

"Cyrus?" H'aanit questioned, her heart fluttering as he spoke directly into her ear.

"I am so glad that you're all right. I was...quite scared when that spell hit you." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. She noticed that he was shaking a bit, and she slid her arms around him and ran her hands over his back soothingly.

"I willst be fine. It would take moren than a flimsy wind spell to fell me." H'aanit said, grinning as she pulled away. He laughed and H'aanit thought that it was a beautiful sound. She then frowned and looked over her shoulder, where Yvon had disappeared with Therese.

"We should goen after them." she said, her eyes narrowing as she adjusted her bow on her back.

"But H'aanit, are you sure you should go? Your shoulder..." Cyrus argued, but he stopped when she shot him a look, eyebrows furrowed into an annoyed stare.

"Er, never mind. I forgot who I was talking to. A strong, yet stubborn huntress." Cyrus teased, and H'aanit's face softened as she chuckled. Cyrus knew that he wouldn't be able to convince her to stay behind, and he really wouldn't have it any other way. He trusted her to know her body best, and she wasn't the type to rush into danger foolishly while injured. They both looked towards the door when it suddenly opened and Linde rushed into the room, meowing loudly.

"Are y'all okay?" Alfyn said as he entered the room, with Olberic following close behind. H'aanit pet Linde's head as she returned to her side, and Cyrus explained the situation to the newcomers.

"We should hurry then." Cyrus said, and everyone agreed. Linde suddenly ran off again, stopping at the top of a staircase, looking to lead to the basement of the house.

"Leaden on, Linde." H'aanit said, and the four companions set off to save Therese, and H'aanit hoped that they would make it in time.

* * *

H'aanit sat in the tavern, staring at her mug of ale as she tried to process everything that had just transpired. They had managed to save Therese, after fighting Yvon, who had used one of those dreaded blood crystals to transform himself into a horrible demon creature. Her grip on her mug tightened as the image flashed through her mind. Who knew such terrible magic existed in the world? She had certainly never seen anything like that before.

Sighing, her gaze drifted to the tavern entrance. Cyrus and Alfyn had taken the unconscious Therese to the local apothecary, where she would be safe to rest and recover, while she and Olberic had returned to the tavern to inform the rest of their companions about the events that had transpired. H'aanit found herself glowering down at table, and she hated herself for it. Those ugly, jealous feeling that she had felt earlier were back in full force, and she didn't know what to do with herself. Her heart had hurt when she saw Cyrus carrying Therese in his arms, much like she had done to him on their first trip to Stoneguard, when he had hurt his leg in their forest battle. She found herself wanting him to carry her like that, and it made her feel terrible.

 _Gods damn it!_ H'aanit thought, gritting her teeth in frustration. This was stupid. She was stupid. Stupid to think that Cyrus would ever come to love her like she loved him. How could she compete with a pretty, young scholar like Therese for his affections? She hadn't failed to noticed how she looked at him, with much of the same longing in her eyes that H'aanit held in her heart for him. This was a hopeless situation.

"H'aanit? Are you alright?" H'aanit was jerked from her thoughts as she looked up to find Primrose staring at her, an eyebrow raised.

"I-I'm fine." she said, wincing at how unconvincing she sounded. Primrose sighed and shook her head.

"You don't have to lie to me. You're my friend, H'aanit. Tell me what is bothering you?" she said, placing a hand over hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. H'aanit managed to give her a small smile in response, but it fell from her face soon after as she sighed deeply.

"I just...I'm...not goode enough foren Cyrus." she said, her stomach twisting in knots as she felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Gods, this was embarrassing. She hated feeling like this.

"H'aanit, that's not true and you know it." Primrose said, pulling her into a comforting embrace. "Anyone would be lucky to have someone as strong, kind, and courageous as you. Especially a clueless idiot like Cyrus."

"But Therese..."

"She's just his student. I think you're jumping to conclusions there. Plus, she's way to young for him. I'd put a stop to that myself if thought that he was trying anything with her." Primrose interrupted, a disgusted look crossing her face. H'aanit nodded slowly. She didn't think about that. Therese was still young, and she didn't think that Cyrus was the type to go after any of his students. Especially since even just a rumor about it almost cost him his job.

"I guess..." she mumbled, drumming her fingers against her mug. Still...she didn't really feel any better about the situation. She sighed and stood up from her chair, and Primrose looked at her with confusion in her eyes.

"I needeth some time alone. I will be at the inn." H'aanit said. Primrose smiled sadly and her and nodded.

"Okay, I'm here if you need anything. Have a good night, H'aanit."

"You as well."

And with that, H'aanit headed out of the tavern and to the inn, and she was not sure if being alone with her thoughts would help her at all. She should have drank more ale first...

Primrose watched her go, and a scowl crossed her face as soon as H'aanit left the tavern. That idiot man...He was probably oblivious to how his actions were effecting H'aanit. Well, he wasn't getting away with making her friend fret like this.

After downing the rest of her drink, and the one that H'aanit left behind, Primrose sat and watched the door like a hawk, waiting for Cyrus to arrive. She would knock some sense into that man if she had to, and at this point she wouldn't be surprised if it actually came to that. She would find out soon enough.

* * *

"Well, shucks, that was quite an adventure."

Cyrus nodded in agreement as he and Alfyn walked down the street, heading away from the local apothecary's house and towards the inn where their friends awaited them. Luckily, Therese hadn't sustained any life-threatening injuries, and just needed a lot of rest. He was glad, but that did not ease the guilt that he felt. She had gotten herself into this situation because of him, after all.

At the moment, though, he was more concerned about H'aanit. She had left with Olberic in a hurry after they had dealt with Yvon, not even giving him a chance to ask her to accompany him. He hoped that her shoulder was not bothering her. His heart clenched when he thought about it. He had been absolutely terrified when H'aanit had been sent flying into that pillar. It should have been him. She had pushed him out of the way at the last second, and he was grateful for it, but he would have never forgiven himself if she had been seriously injured. Gods, even a dislocated shoulder was too much of an injury. He felt incredibly guilty about it still.

"Aw, shuck, Cyrus. Don't look so down. I'm sure H'aanit is fine." Alfyn said, grinning confidently. "I did a quick check on her before we headed off, and it looked like her shoulder was back in the right place at least."

Cyrus nodded. Hearing Alfyn's expert opinion did ease his mind a bit. His gaze went to the moon, which was hanging high in the sky. It was late, and he wondered if H'aanit would still be up for talking. This whole situation really messed up his plans to confess his feelings for her. Damn it all.

They reached the tavern, and Alfyn eagerly rushed inside. Cyrus chuckled. He was amazed at how much alcohol that the likes of Alfyn and Olberic could drink down. He was even more amazed that their livers hadn't shut down yet. Shaking his head, he entered the tavern himself. He smiled when he spotted his companions at a table near the middle of the room, but his face fell when he did not see H'aanit there with the rest. Where was she? He then noticed that Primrose was walking in his direction, and he smiled and held up a hand in greeting.

"Ah, Primrose! Do you know where-" he started, but he was interrupted when Primrose grabbed him by the arm and roughly dragged him back the way he came and out the door. She pulled him off to the side and spun around, her eyes narrowed into an absolutely deadly glare that seemed to pierce his very soul. He recoiled backwards and found himself pressed against the outside wall of the building, and he gulped as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"We need to talk." she said, the anger evident in her voice as she jabbed a finger at his chest, while her other hand went to rest on her hip. He gulped and nodded, unable to form words at the moment.

"You're probably wondering where H'aanit is, yes?" He nodded again and she continued. "Well, she left to go back to the inn, because somehow you made her feel like she's not good enough for you, you big idiot." He blinked at her, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Gods, you two really are the most oblivious people." Primrose groaned, placing a hand over her face as she let out an exasperated sigh. "She's in love with you, Cyrus. Probably as much as you are will her." He blinked at her a few times, before his jaw dropped in shock.

"A-Are you certain?" he asked, his voice cracking as his heart fluttered in his chest. She...She really felt the same about him? He couldn't believe it.

"Yes. And you're going to stop being a coward and go tell her how you feel about her, or so help me gods, I will drag you to that inn myself and stand there until you do it. And no one wants that." Primrose said, her intense gaze not leaving his as he took on a mortified look.

"N-No need for that. I-I'll go tell her right now!" Cyrus said quickly, pushing himself off of the wall and stumbling as he rushed out into the street. He gathered his bearings and cleared his throat before rushing off in the direction of the inn, a look of fiery determination blazing in his eyes.

Primrose watched him go, her mouth turning upwards into a grin. Finally. H'aanit probably didn't want her to tell Cyrus that she had feelings for her, but Primrose couldn't stand watching those two be bumbling idiots about their feelings anymore. She had done all she could, and it was up to them now.

* * *

I'm back y'all! So, this chapter was gonna be longer, but I decided to split it into two because the original was going on 10,000 words and that's a lot for one chapter xD The next one should be posted either tomorrow or Saturday though. Thanks for reading!


	7. Louder Than Words

H'aanit paced back and forth in the room at the inn that she shared with Primrose, Ophilia, and Tressa, and if she kept at it she would probably wear a trench into the floor where she walked. She couldn't take this anymore, this bottling up of her feelings for Cyrus. She stopped her pacing and balled her hands into fists. She could not afford to be so distracted. She needed to concentrate on hunting down Redeye and saving her master.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and walked to the door, placing her hand on the handle. She was going to find Cyrus, tell him how she felt, take his inevitable rejection, and they could go back to not being awkward as all hell around each other. She at least hoped that they could go back to that. She pulled the door open and stepped out into the hall, only to run right into the person that she was going to look for.

"Huh?" H'aanit blinked in surprise as her face ended up against Cyrus' chest, and she felt his hands grip her arms as they both stumbled a bit. She look up at him, and found that he looked just as surprised as she felt.

"Oh, good evening, H'aanit." Cyrus said, smiling down at her. It was taking all of his willpower to not give up on this whole endeavor and run away. His hands were shaking as he pulled them off of H'aanit's arms and dropped them to his sides. His heart was hammering hard in his chest, and he could feel sweat starting to bead on his forehead. He cleared his throat and asked, "Were you going somewhere?"

"Actually, I was going to findeth you." H'aanit said, gulping to try and clear the nervous lump forming in her throat. Her tongue flicked around behind her teeth, trying to ward off the dryness inside her mouth. Gods, this was going to be harder than she thought, and she already thought it was going to be difficult.

"Ah, we are of the same mind, it seems." Cyrus said, and hearing H'aanit chuckle eased a bit of his nervousness. "I was hoping that we could talk a moment, if that is all right with you?"

"O-Of course." H'aanit nodded as she turned around and walked back into the room. She brought her hands to her face, and she hoped that her cheeks were not as red as they felt. She turned back around when she heard Cyrus close the door behind him, and he walked up to her. He cleared his throat again as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Ah, well, how is your shoulder? It's not still hurting you, is it?" Cyrus asked, a twang of guilt passing through him. He sighed with relief when she just shrugged and rolled said shoulder without flinching. "I am so glad to see that. I would have been devastated if you had gotten seriously injured in my stead. I-" Oh no, now he was just rambling off-topic. How was he going to bring up how he felt about her now?

"Cyrus, how deepeth aren your feelings for me?"

Silence filled the room after H'aanit cut Cyrus off, and her face flushed with embarrassment as she quickly looked at the floor. Gods, why did she just blurt it out like that? She gulped and slowly raised her head to look at him again. He was staring at her with wide eyes, his mouth opening for a moment before snapping shut before any words could come out. She watching him repeat this a few times, and she fought off the urge to start laughing at how silly he looked, until he broke eye contact and started fidgeting with his sleeves.

"M-my feelings...for you?" he stuttered, his eyes darting everywhere but to her own. He did not expect her to be so forward with him. Oh gods, how to put this into words? It should have been an easy thing. It was just three little words. Why was he freezing up so badly?

"Um, well, you see, I, um...W-what about you? What are your feelings for me?" he blurted out, wincing at how unbearably stupid he sounded. Why did he just turn her question around on her? How very rude of him.

"I-I asked you first!" H'aanit countered, her brows furrowing in frustration as they both looked away from each other. This was stupid, and going nowhere. She took a deep breath and placed a shaky hand on his chest in a bold move. He flinched and sucked in a breath sharply, and they forced themselves to look each other in the eye again.

It was in that moment that they both knew the answer to their questions, and realized that words were not needed. Her green eyes burned with the same desire and longing that his dark ones did, and as if there was a magnetic attraction between them, they found themselves moving closer and closer, until their lips finally met in a feather-light kiss. They stayed like that for a few moments, both not quite sure what to do next, or if this really was actually happening at all and not just a crazy dream. Pulling away, they both stared at each other in a stunned silence.

"Cyrus-"

"H'aanit, I-"

They spoke at the same time and blinked at each other, before they both burst out laughing. The tension that had plagued Cyrus the entire conversation melted away in an instant. He felt incredibly silly, and elated that he was finally able to kiss the most beautiful woman in the world. He felt like the luckiest man in all of Orsterra.

H'aanit felt like she was floating, a bubbly warmth spreading throughout her from head to toe. She didn't care that a stupid smile was plastered on her face, and she felt like it would stay there for days to come. She just felt so...happy. Happy that she was finally able to kiss the man that she loved.

"Er, may I?" Cyrus finally said after they recovered from their laughing fit. H'aanit let a last giggle slip and nodded, waiting with baited breath to hear what he had to say. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, H'aanit. I feel like such a fool. All this time, I've been fretting about telling you how I felt about you, and I apparently had nothing to worry about." he said, bringing a hand up to gently cup her cheek, and she shivered at the touch as she looked him in the eyes. "I was at a loss at what I was feeling for you at first. I could not stop thinking about you, no matter what I was doing. Every moment not spent at your side left me with a hollow feeling in my chest..." He paused to clear his throat, feeling a bit of nervousness trying to creep up on him again. "I-I've never felt happier than when I am with you, H'aanit. I had no idea what that meant for the longest time...but I think I've finally found the right word to describe what I feel for you."

"A-and?" H'aanit asked softly, her heart beating so fast against her eardrums that she almost couldn't hear herself speaking. She needed to hear him say it. That one four letter word that she had been feeling for him for a long time now.

"Love." Cyrus said, taking one of her hands in his free one, as he brushed his thumb over her cheek. "I love you, H'aanit."

H'aanit's smile somehow got even larger, and she leaned her head into his touch. It was amazing how one word could cause her to feel so much happiness. Love really was a powerful force.

"I love you too, Cyrus." she said, shyly looking down at his hand grasping hers as she entwined their fingers together. "Seems that both of us haven been fools. I was...afraid to tellen you how I felt. I did not thinke that you would ever feelen the same about me."

"Oh, perish the thought, H'aanit! You are without a doubt the most wonderful woman that I have ever met. I should be the one surprised that you felt the same." he said, and she chuckled.

"You'ren wonderful in youren own way, Cyrus. I liken everything about you." she said, and he blushed and looked away bashfully.

"Ah, well, now that our feelings are out in the open, I, um..." he said, his puzzled expression telling H'aanit that he didn't know what to do next. She let go of his hand and grabbed him by the collar of his coat. Smiling mischievously, she pulled him towards her so that their noses touched.

"Kissen me again." she said softly, her lips almost brushing his as she spoke. His face flushed a bright red and he could only nod slightly in response. He closed the distance between them as his lips pressed against hers again. H'aanit kissed him back, her lips eager and hungry against his own. They moved together, a bit awkward with their combined inexperienced at first, but it got more comfortable as the kiss went on and her eyes slipped shut in her blissful state.

Cyrus' lips moved more hesitantly than hers; he wasn't sure if he was doing this right. Also, his hands hovered awkwardly at his sides, as he did not know what to do with them. He moved one shaky hand to her side and placed it on her waist, and she reacted by pressing herself closer to him, her lips smiling against his as she released her hold on his collar and her arms snaked around his neck, causing their kiss to deepen. He immediately relaxed and closed his eyes, moving his other hand to the back of her head, his fingers settling in the loose hair that had fallen from her braid.

With his confidence building, he poked his tongue between H'aanit's lips and brushed it against her teeth, which she parted and her own tongue shot out to eagerly twine with his. He sighed contently as their kiss continued. He felt absolutely elated. He was warm and lightheaded in the best way, and he deduced that she felt similar, for one of her hands was gripping his hair at the base of his neck, while the other moved to cup his cheek and tilt his head down, allowing her to deepen their kiss even further.

H'aanit let a satisfied moan escape her as she tried pressing herself closer to Cyrus, even though they were already as close as they could be while fully clothed. Her hunger for him was growing, and even this hot kiss didn't seem like enough. She craved more.

Cyrus finally pulled away, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. He took the time to look down and study her face. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her lips were red and swollen. Strands of her hair had fallen from her braid and hung at the sides of her face, pulled loose from his fingers settling behind her head. She looked absolutely beautiful, and his head was spinning as he tried to process what he was feeling right now. He was then jerked back down as H'aanit smashed their lips together again, and he made a strangled noise in the back of his throat as he pulled away again.

"H-H'aanit?" he stammered, trying to push the fog from his mind so that he could think clearly. Her green eyes stared at him, half-lidded and hazy as she pouted and tugged him back down.

"Please, Cyrus..." she pleaded. She didn't know what she was begging for, but she knew that she wasn't satisfied yet. She hadn't had her fill of the taste of his lips, and she didn't know if that was even possible. Seeing the normally well put together man so delightfully disheveled made the feeling worse, with his hair falling out of its tie and his bruised lips parted as he panted. She needed more.

Cyrus was feeling much the same, and without another word his lips crashed against hers again, causing H'aanit to squeak in surprise. His tongue shoved its way back into her mouth, and she welcomed it eagerly as she sank back into this intoxicating experience. They both had denied themselves this pleasure for so long, and they were not sure if they could stop themselves from going further. They even if they could stop, they were silently telling each other they they did not want to.

"My, my. Tressa, dear, should we bunk with the boys tonight and give these two the room to themselves? They seem quite...preoccupied."

Cyrus and H'aanit repelled away from each other as the voice hit their ears, and they looked to find Primrose standing at the door, a smug grin plastered on her face. Tressa was peaking into the room from behind her, and she screeched in delight as Cyrus and H'aanit both stared at them, absolutely mortified.

"Oh my gods! Finally!" Tressa said excitedly, pumping a fist in the air. She then pointed a finger in front of her and moved it back and forth between H'aanit and Cyrus. "Important question! Who made the first move?" H'aanit was frozen in place, too humiliated to say anything. Cyrus cleared his throat in a failed attempt to chase away his embarrassment and pointed a shaky finger at H'aanit.

"Yes!" Tressa said, jumping out into the hallway. "Hey Olberic! I won the bet, pay up!" She yelled, running out of sight.

"What?" came the shocked response of Olberic, and Tressa's laughter grew distant as she got farther away. Primrose had moved into the hallway and was looking in the direction that Tressa ran off in, thankfully giving the two lovebirds some space to say goodnight. H'aanit sighed and looked at Cyrus, who chuckled and took H'aanit's hand in his.

"It is getting rather late, isn't it?" he said, glancing out the window at the dark, star-spotted sky. H'aanit smiled and nodded, stifling a yawn. It had been a long, eventful day, and the exhaustion was starting to creep up on her now. Cyrus' eyes were locked onto hers as he lifted her hand to his face, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "Sweet dreams, my dear H'aanit. I will see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Cyrus." H'aanit said, a light blush rising on her cheeks as she nodded. A huge smile crossed her face as a warmth blossomed in her chest. Cyrus backed up towards the door, watching her with eyes sparkling with adoration. He turned to head out, and in his distraction, managed to smack his face right into the door frame. H'aanit's hands shot up to cover her mouth to muffle her laughter as Cyrus blinked and chuckled sheepishly, rubbing at his reddening forehead as he finally made it out the door and stumbled down the hallway to the room that he shared with the other men.

"So," Primrose said as she stepped into the room once Cyrus left, "I think I can assume that things went well?" H'aanit averted her gaze shyly and nodded, hyper aware of the stupidly huge smile on her face. Primrose laughed and pulled her friend into a hug.

"Good. I am happy for you two. I was afraid for a moment that I'd have to drag Cyrus here and force him to tell you how he felt." she teased, and it was H'aanit's turn to laugh.

"I am glad that it did not come to that." H'aanit said. It had been hard enough to say anything with just the two of them in the room, but she was very glad that it had finally happened. Soon, Tressa and Ophilia joined them and convinced H'aanit to tell them how it all happened, and she reluctantly obliged, her cheeks red the entire time. Soon after everyone retired to their beds, and H'aanit fell into a deep, dreamless sleep with a huge smile on her face.

* * *

H'aanit was always the first in their group of eight to awaken in the mornings, and today was no different. Primrose, Tressa, and Ophilia were all still sound asleep when H'aanit got cleaned up and dressed, and she quietly left the room and was headed downstairs to get something to eat. She placed her hand on the railing and was about to descend the steps, when the door closest her to opened and, to her surprise, Cyrus stepped out of it.

H'aanit blinked in confusion as she watched Cyrus yawn and rub his eyes; it seemed like he was still half asleep. He was never awake this early. In fact, he was usually one of the last people in their group to awake, along with Tressa and Therion. He lowered his hands from his face and finally noticed her. His eyes widened and he smiled brightly, and H'aanit smiled back, amazed at how handsome he looked even in the early hours of the morning.

"Ah, good morning H'aanit!" he said, reaching up to tie his loose hair up in his signature ponytail as he walked up to her.

"Morning." she said, placing a hand on his arm and leaning up to steal a kiss from his lips. She pulled away, and his face had flushed a bright red, causing H'aanit to giggle. He cleared his throat and chuckled, caressing her cheek with the back of her hand.

"Ah, my dear, you must be careful with me. I fear that my heart might give out if you keep on being so adorable." he said, and H'aanit heart leapt to her throat; her heart would be the one giving out if he kept saying things like that.

"I should sayeth the same to you." she said, grinning as she rolled her eyes. "Letten us get some breakfast, shall we?"

"An excellent idea!" Cyrus said, reaching out to take her hand and entwining his fingers with hers. She was amazed at how natural it felt holding his hand, and she was all smiles as they headed downstairs to get some food.

"Cyrus," H'aanit said when they sat down at a table and began digging into their food, "why aren you up so early? 'Tis a rare sight to see you up and about at sunrise." She smiled when he averted his gaze bashfully and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I know you're always the first one of us to get going in the morning, so I wanted to make sure I could be up in time to join you for breakfast. I'd like to make it a habit, now that we're an official couple and all." he said, placing his hand over hers on the table. She nodded as she continued to eat, her gaze lingering on their hands. It was a bit strange, thinking of them as a couple now. Just yesterday, she thought that there was no way that Cyrus would ever feel the same way about her. And now, he was here with her, awake uncharacteristically early just to spend time with her, his hand over hers. It felt like she was living in a wonderful dreamworld.

"I woulde liken that." H'aanit said, lacing their fingers together. "This is rather nice."

"I'm glad you think so, my dear."

Their meal went on, both making small talk as they enjoyed each other's company. When they were done, Cyrus stood up and stretched before adjusting his coat.

"Well, I should go check up on Therese." Cyrus said, and H'aanit nodded. She hoped that the young scholar was doing okay. H'aanit felt bad about being jealous of her before. She had been a great help with finding and saving Cyrus last night.

"I willst leaven you to that. I needeth to go find Linde and maketh sure that she found enough food." H'aanit said as she stood up and grabbed her bow. The snow leopard probably spent the night in the forest, with Hagen and master. "Pray tellth Therese that I wishen her a quick recovery."

"I certainly will. Be safe out there." Cyrus said, pulling H'aanit into his arms for a hug. She smiled and returned the hug. It was amazing how much she loved the feeling of his arms around her. He pulled away, his hands lingering on her arms, and he leaned down to capture her lips with his own. She smiled as she kissed him back. She could definitely get used to this new morning ritual. Regretfully, she pulled away and gave his hand a squeeze before she turned and headed out the door, feeling happier than she had been in a long time.

* * *

Cyrus sighed as he watched H'aanit leave the tavern with a dreamy look in his eyes. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he was now in a relationship with the most amazing woman that he'd ever met. It felt like he was stuck in a too good to be true dream that he never wanted to wake up from. But this was indeed reality, and he couldn't thank the gods enough for that.

"Shucks, Cyrus! You're sure up early." Cyrus was snapped from his dreamy trance as he turned to find Alfyn walking up to him, with Olberic close behind, adjusting his weapons belt on his waist.

"Ah, good morning Alfyn, Olberic." Cyrus said, "I wanted to meet H'aanit for breakfast, so I needed to break my habit of sleeping in."

"We figured as much. Gotta spend all the time you can with your sweetheart, right?" Alfyn said with a wink, causing Cyrus to blush and rub at the back of his neck. Olberic chuckled and gave him a friendly pat on the back.

"He's just teasing you. We're all glad that you two are finally together. Even if it did cost me ten leaves in the end..." Olberic said, mumbling the last part as he frowned. Alfyn sighed and shook his head.

"You really should've known better than to make a bet with Tressa of all people. She'll never give up an opportunity to make a profit."

"Indeed. It was not one of my better decisions."

Cyrus chuckled at the banter and placed one hand on Alfyn's shoulder, and the other on Olberic's. "Well, I'm afraid I have business to attend to, so I will see you two later. I believe we're planning on leaving town today."

"Yeah, that's the plan! We'll round everyone up and meet at the entrance of town at noon, alright?" Alfyn said, and Cyrus nodded.

"Sounds like an excellent plan. See you then." he said, and he left the tavern, heading to the local apothecary. He arrived and talked to the apothecary, who said that Therese was awake and would make a full recovery in a few days time, and Cyrus sighed with relief. He headed up to her room and knocked on the door before entering.

"Ah, Therese! You're finally awake I see!" Cyrus said, making his way to her bedside and sitting in the chair next to it. A tired smile crossed her face and she nodded.

"Yes, Professor."

"Therese," Cyrus' voice took on a serious tone as he frowned slightly. "I must know everything that you overheard. You will tell me, yes?" Therese hesitated before nodding slowly, and she spilled out all that she had overheard from Yvon. It was...troubling that he wanted to see Cyrus dead so badly. What exactly were they planning with that book?

"I see..." Cyrus mumbled, biting his lip thoughtfully. "I must thank you Therese, for coming all the way here to warn me. I owe you a great dept."

"Oh Professor...I didn't do that much. H'aanit did more for you than I did." Therese said, shaking her head. "She's okay, right? Her shoulder?"

"Ah, yes." Cyrus said, blushing as he cleared his throat. "She is right as rain. H'aanit's a strong woman, and she said herself that it would take more than a flimsy wind spell to take her out." Therese giggled at that.

"I'm glad. She...was really worried about you, you know." she said softly, and a sad look appeared in her eyes that confused Cyrus.

"I see." He wasn't surprised at that, now that he knew that H'aanit had also been in love with him. He felt bad for worrying her like that. He would spend all the time in the world to make up for it, by showering her in all of the love that she deserved.

"Um, Professor?" Therese said, pulling Cyrus from his thoughts. "The headmaster, he said one important thing...He said that after you were out of the way, he was going to..." She stopped and averted her gaze, looking conflicted as she bit her lip.

Cyrus placed a gentle hand on her arm, and she flinched as she looked back at him. "I know you're worried for me, but I must go there, Therese. I must stop whatever foul plans that are going on there." She hesitated, but then sighed deeply and nodded.

"I-I know...The headmaster said he was going to Duskbarrow." Therese said quietly, looking down at her hands that were balled into fists.

"Thank you, Therese."

"Just...don't get yourself into a mess like this again. You companions probably won't be as nice as me when they have to safe you." Cyrus laughed at that, and Therese giggled softly.

"You're right. This is the second mess that H'aanit has had to pull me out of, and both took place here in Stoneguard. Hm..." Cyrus said, making a mental note to stay away from here for a while.

"Well, I should be off then. The apothecary here says that you can stay as long as you need to." Cyrus said as he stood up. He got about halfway to the door, when Therese stopped him.

"W-wait, Professor." He turned to see that she was looking down at her hands that she was wringing together nervously.

"Yes?"

"Do...Do you love H'aanit?"

Cyrus flushed and averted his gaze. Gods, was it really that obvious to everyone that he was madly in love with her? Well, it wasn't really a bad thing, Cyrus mused. Especially now that they were actually dating.

"Well, yes. I do love her, so very much." Cyrus watched as Therese's facial expressions changed so rapidly that he couldn't keep up, until she finally shot him a bright smile, though her eyes seemed a bit watery. Was she feeling sick?

"O-oh, that's great." Therese said, nodding slowly.

"Are you feeling all right, Therese?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." she said quickly, waving a hand at him nonchalantly before lacing her fingers together in her lap. "Um, sorry for the weird question. It's just...I had a feeling that she was in love with you, too. I'm...happy for you." Cyrus smiled at that. Therese was a wonderful person. He couldn't have asked for a better student.

"Thank you. Rest well, Therese, and take care on your trip back to Atlasdam." he said, and with that, he left the room and closed the door behind him. He thought that he heard Therese start sniffing when he closed the door; he'd make sure to have that apothecary keep a close eye on her heath while she was here.

After speaking to said apothecary, Cyrus finally left, only to find himself being tackled by a heavy, furry mass as soon as he stepped outside. He fell flat on his back with, gasping as the wind was knocked out of him. A rough, wet tongue scratched over his face, and, now knowing what exactly had tackled him, he burst out laughing.

"Linde! Whaten haveth I tolden thee about being careful whilst playing?" Linde meowed as H'aanit pulled her off of Cyrus, an exasperated look on her face. Cyrus grasped the hand that she offered to him and let H'aanit pull him to his feet. He was happy that he didn't have to let go anymore, and instead he entwined their fingers together.

"Thank you, my dear. And good morning Linde." he said, chuckling as he pet Linde with his free hand, and she purred in delight.

"Silly leopard." H'aanit mumbled, smiling as she shook her head. "How is Therese?"

"Ah, she seems to be doing well. But she was sniffling a bit as I left, so I told the apothecary to keep an eye on her. I wouldn't want her trying to make the trip back with a cold." H'aanit nodded. She hoped that Therese would be okay. She liked the young woman. She was brave and selfless. The world needed more people like her.

"Ah, Linde, did H'aanit tell you that we are now dating?" Cyrus said, causing H'aanit to blush. Linde stared at him, her head cocking to one side as her yellow eyes sparkled with interest. She then meowed and licked at Cyrus' and H'aanit's entwined hands, before rubbing her head against them.

"I thinken that she approves." H'aanit said, smiling up at Cyrus. He smiled back and brought his free hand up to cup her cheek.

"Well good. I certainly couldn't be with you without the consent of your animal companion." Cyrus said, pulling her head towards him so that he could place a kiss on her lips. She kissed him back eagerly, her hand coming up to his neck to pull him closer so she could deepen the kiss.

"Okay, lovebirds! Time to stop sucking face and get a move on!"

Cyrus and H'aanit pulled away from each other, with the former turning as red as a tomato and the latter pouting, to find Therion shooting them a shit-eating grin, while Tressa rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, Therion, you could have said it a little nicer." she said, crossing her arms over her chest. He just shrugged.

"Yeah, but you can't get those priceless reactions if you're nice about it."

"Ugh, whatever."

H'aanit chuckled as the two bickered and headed to the edge of town, and she squeezed Cyrus' hand.

"Well, did Therese give you insight on wheren to go next?" she asked. Cyrus nodded.

"Yes. I need to go to Duskbarrow."

"We can head there after our trek to the Sundlands. Olberic and Therion have business there, as do I." H'aanit's face darkened a bit, and Cyrus placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"Do not worry, dear. You will hunt this Redeye down, and I will be with you every step of the way." he said, smiling as her face lit up again.

"Thanketh thee, Cyrus. I love you."

"And I love you, my dear H'aanit."

With a warmth bubbling in both of their hearts, they walked hand-in-hand to catch up with their companions, ready to face whatever their journeys had in store for them, together.

* * *

So I day dreamed about this damn confession scene longer that it is appropriate to day dream about fictional characters getting together, but I finally got to write it! And it turned out a bit more...heated that I anticipated xD But I'm happy with it, and I hope you guys enjoy it too! Thanks for reading!


	8. Enamored

Wellspring was a beautiful gem of an oasis in the middle of the harsh desert that sprawled across the Sunlands. H'aanit was relieved to be out of the unforgiving desert for now, and Linde was especially thankful. The group of travelers dispersed for the time being, off to take care of their own business. Linde immediately made for the closest patch of shade, which happened to be under the leaves of a large palm tree, right next to the sparkling water of the oasis.

H'aanit followed her feline companion, and sat down next to her as Linde sprawled out on the cooler, shaded ground. H'aanit sighed and closed her eyes, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Even after taking off her fur scarf, gloves, and boot warmers, the heat was still unbearable. She was quickly realizing that she preferred the chill of the Frostlands over this.

"Ah, you both look comfortable there. Do you mind if I join you?"

H'aanit smiled as she looked up to see Cyrus standing before her with a broad smile on his handsome face. She nodded and he sat down, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly as he ran a hand through his slightly damp hair. He had adjusted to the heat by packing away his coat and vest, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up passed his elbows. It wasn't often that he was seen this dressed down, and H'aanit thought he looked as attractive as ever.

"My, my, this heat is quite relentless. Are you holding up okay, my dear?" Cyrus said, looking at H'aanit with concern in his eyes as he took her hand in his. She chuckled and laced their fingers together.

"I wilst be fine. I worry moren about Linde." H'aanit said, her brow furrowing as she glanced over at the snow leopard, who was lying on her side, panting heavily. Cyrus grabbed his travel pack and pulled out a bowl. He stood and made his way to the oasis, filling the bowl with the clear water.

"Here you are, Linde! Of all of us, you are probably the least fit for this kind of weather." Cyrus said as he set the bowl in front of her. Linde meowed happily as she sat up and eagerly lapped up the water.

"Thanketh thee, Cyrus." H'aanit said, smiling when he sat back down, and she leaned over to place a kiss on his cheek. He flushed and chuckled, taking her hand once more and lifting it to his face so that he could place a kiss on her knuckles. The simple gesture never failed to make her heart race.

"You are most welcome, dearest. I myself was never a fan of such heat."

"Aye, 'tis the same foren me. The Woodlands never gotteth this hot. I findeth it harder to hunte in the heat. It always feelen like my energy gets depleted faster."

"Indeed. That is probably due to the heat causing you to become dehydrated faster. Be sure to drink lots of water while we are traversing the Sunlands. I do not want you to collapse and hurt yourself, H'aanit." Cyrus gently cupped H'aanit's face with his hand, and she smiled and leaned into his touch.

"I wilst be careful. Thou should also taken care. Thou tends to be clumsy enough normally. I woulde hateth for the heat to maketh that even worse." H'aanit said, and Cyrus laughed.

"Of course, my dear. I will most certainly watch my condition closely." he said, his eyes locking with her own, and the look of adoration he was giving her made H'aanit's heart flutter. She slowly leaned over and brushed her lips against his, feeling his lips curl up into a smile against hers. The tender kiss was far too short, however, as a voice suddenly interrupted them.

"Okay, you lovebirds! It's time to get down to work!"

Cyrus and H'aanit quickly pulled away from each other, faces flushing red with embarrassment. Alfyn stood before them, grinning as he laughed heartily.

"Golly, y'all are just too cute sometimes, ya know?" Alfyn teased, and H'aanit pouted at him as she let Cyrus help her to her feet.

"Er, yes, well, what is the plan for today, then?" Cyrus said, clearing his throat and brushing the sand from his clothes.

"Well, Olberic found out that his friend is right here in Wellspring like he was told." Alfyn said, pulling out two waterskins from his satchel and handing one to H'aanit and one to Cyrus. "The problem is that the town is having a hell of a time dealing with the lizardmen, and Olberic's friend went off alone to confront the hoard. Y'all wanna come and help us thin 'em out?"

"Aye," H'aanit said, nodding eagerly. "Lizardmen aren wary, mistrustful creatures who wilst attacketh all whom wanderen into their domain. 'Tis inevitable, this conflict, whilst thy oasis is the only abundant source of water."

"Indeed. We must protect the townspeople." Cyrus added, and they all headed off to find Olberic, while mentally preparing for the fight ahead.

* * *

Cyrus had always thought that H'aanit was an exceptional fighter, both with her favored bow and her deadly hand ax. Now that he had fully come to terms with the fact that he was madly in love with her, it was as if he was watching her fight from an entirely different perspective.

H'aanit shot an arrow at a charging lizardman, hitting him square in the forehead and he dropped dead to the ground like a ton of bricks. She quickly pulled out her axe and parried a spear attack from another. Her green eyes blazed with a fiery passion, and she let out a snarl as she swung her ax hard across the lizardman's neck, cutting his head clean off. She paused for a moment, panting heavily as her narrowed eyes darted around in search of her next victim. She tightened her grip on her ax, her arm muscles bulging, and she charged off to expedite the death of another unfortunate lizardman.

Of all the varied words in his vocabulary, Cyrus could not think of a word strong enough to express how amazing a woman his lover was. He continued to watch her with wide eyes, his jaw hanging open with awe, and he felt like he was in some kind of magical trance-like state.

"Hey, loverboy! Quit oogling at your lady and help us out!"

Cyrus was snapped out of his stupor when Alfyn jumped in front of him, blocking the attacking lizardman's ax with his own. Cyrus jerked his head back and forth to assess his surroundings, only to find that another lizardman was charging right at him from the opposite direction. Cursing, Cyrus readied an ice spell, but he wasn't sure if he could cast it in time. His eyes reflexively shut in anticipation for the attack, but it never came.

"Thou ist hopeless, Cyrus."

Opening his eyes slowly, Cyrus found H'aanit standing before him, bow in hand, and the attacking lizardman was dead at her feet with an arrow through its chest. Gazing around, Cyrus saw that the remaining lizardmen were retreating. He looked back at H'aanit and smiled sheepishly, his face flushing red with embarrassment.

"Er, sorry, my dear. I was, uh, a bit distracted by your, uh, utter domination on the battlefield." he said lamely, and Alfyn barked out a laugh as H'aanit sighed and shook her head.

"You really do have it bad for her, huh Cyrus? You're even smitten with her when she's killin' a bunch of monsters!" Alfyn said, nudging H'aanit with his elbow, "He's a keeper, all right. Hang onto him, H'aanit."

"I wilst be sure to, if Cyrus manages to not getten himself killed like an idiot first." H'aanit said crossing her arms over her chest as she raised an eyebrow at Cyrus.

"Yes, yes, I see your point." Cyrus mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyway, I think I did see Olberic run off ahead, we should make haste and catch up to him before he disappears into that cave."

"Aye, letten us be off." H'aanit said, and the trio ran off after their warrior friend, hoping that he hadn't ran into trouble along the way.

* * *

"...And then while Cyrus was making heart eyes at H'aanit, he almost got his head lobbed off with an ax. He's lucky ol' Alfyn was watching his back!"

"...Can we please just forget that ever happened?" Cyrus asked, sighing as Alfyn just laughed and slapped Cyrus on the back, almost spilling his mug of ale.

"Not a chance!" the apothecary said, laughing along with the rest of the table as they cheered and continued with their drunken conversations. They had managed to vanquish the leaders of the lizardmen, and it looked like the hoard would not be as much of a problem without clear leadership. H'aanit, Alfyn, and Cyrus had returned to the tavern to meet back up with Therion, Ophilia, Tressa, and Primrose, and they all apparently had an exciting day as well helping Therion scope out the black market for that elusive dragonstone.

"Hey, where's Olberic? I thought he'd especially be here celebrating." Tressa asked with a frown. Primrose chuckled and traced her finger around the rim of her mug.

"Oh, dear Tressa, Olberic and Sir Erhardt are probably busy getting...reacquainted with each other." the dancer said, smirking mischievously. Ophilia blushed a bright red and looked away, busying herself with downing the rest of her drink. Therion snorted and shot Primrose a wink of understanding, and Alfyn seemed to realize something mid-drink that caused him to spit his ale over the table. Cyrus and H'aanit shared a look of confusion, and Tressa smiled and nodded.

"Ah, that's right! They haven't seen each other for, what, almost ten years now? They must have a lot to talk about!" the merchant said excitedly as she looked back and forth across the table.

"I have a feeling that they won't be doing much talking, Tressa, dear." Primrose said, and Tressa tilted her head, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Huh, why?"

Primrose opened her mouth to speak, but she shut it and instead leaned over, whispering softly into Tressa's ear. The younger woman blinked as she listened intently, and she suddenly blushed furiously and jerked away from Primrose, her hands flying up to cover her face.

"Oh, OH! That's, um...I-I need a refill!" Tressa sputtered as she shot out of her seat and practically ran up to the bar. Primrose and Therion burst out laughing, and Ophilia shot them a disapproving look.

"Whatten ist so funny?" H'aanit asked, and Cyrus shrugged and shook his head.

"I really have no idea. We must be missing some key information here."

"Indeed."

The party of seven continued to drink the night away, and eventually H'aanit stepped outside for some fresh air, and to check up on Linde, who was curled up next to the wall just outside of the door to the tavern. H'aanit sighed contently as the brisk night air hit her skin. She did like how much cooler the desert nights were compared to the unbearable heat during the day. Linde purred happily when H'aanit reached down and scratched her head. H'aanit turned back around when she heard the tavern door open, and she smiled when Cyrus stepped out into the night.

"Ah, hello my dear, how is Linde fairing?" he said, crouching down to rub Linde's belly, and the snow leopard purred loudly.

"She ist doing better, nowen that the sun ist set." H'aanit said, taking Cyrus' hand when he stood back up. He smiled at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"That is good news. Are you alright? Did you drink too much?"

"Nay, 'twas just getting hot in there. I just needeth some fresh air 'tis all."

"Ah, very good."

A silence fell between them, and H'aanit noted that Cyrus was fidgeting with his bangs, and he was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. She tilted her head at him, confused.

"Cyrus? Ist something bothering thee?" she asked, and he glanced at her and sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"It's just...My mind keeps wandering to the battle today. I put you and Alfyn in danger because I couldn't stay focused on the fight at hand. I feel guilty about it. My carelessness could have gotten either of you injured, or worse. Normally my focus is unparalleled, but I cannot help myself sometimes, as I am ever so enamoured with everything that you do." he said, lowering his head in shame. H'aanit smiled and chuckled softly as she reached up to cup his face, turning his head so that he was looking at her again with wide eyes.

"My love," H'aanit started, and she chuckled when Cyrus' cheeks flushed a bright red, "thou should indeed worketh on they ability to focus, but knoweth that I wilst never letten any harm cometh to thee, notten whilst I draweth breath. Cyrus, thou meaneth so much to me. Youren the one person that I loveth the most in the world." He stared at her silently for a moment, blinking owlishly, before he finally found his voice again.

"Oh, H'aanit," Cyrus said, chuckling as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a loving embrace, "God's know that I am the luckiest man in all of Orsterra, to have earned the love of the most beautiful and the strongest woman in the land. I love you, so, so much." He rested his forehead against hers, and H'aanit's heartbeat quickened with delight.

"I loveth thee too, Cyrus." H'aanit whispered, and she quickly closed the distance between them, pressing her lips eagerly to his. Cyrus chuckled as he moved a hand to the back of her head, deepening the kiss. Gods, he still just could not believe how lucky he was. The guilt that had been plaguing him melted away in the wake of H'aanit's honest words. He made a silent vow to himself to do one-hundred and ten percent better in all aspects of his life, just to make sure that he was a good enough man for her, because she did indeed deserve the best that he could give.

The two stayed in each other's embrace for a bit longer, until Linde suddenly meowed loudly, and Cyrus pulled away, noting that the snow leopard seemed to be staring at something behind him. Turning around, Cyrus smiled when he saw Olberic and Erhardt, looking like they had been trying to sneak past him and H'aanit and head right into the tavern. Curious.

"Ah, good evening Olberic! And Sir Erhardt as well!" Cyrus said. H'aanit took a step away from Cyrus, clearing her throat as she nodded at them, her face flushed a bright red.

"Er, hello Cyrus, H'aanit." Olberic said, and Erhardt waved in greeting. Cyrus opened his mouth to speak, but he shut it as he narrowed his eyes. Something was odd about the two warriors.

"Is something wrong? You two seem a bit on edge." Cyrus asked, and H'aanit blinked at them curiously.

"N-No, why would you think that?" Olberic quickly protested, and Erhardt shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding meeting Cyrus' gaze.

"Aye, nothing odd going on here."

Cyrus studied the two other men carefully. They looked exhausted, their clothing was a bit disheveled, they both had bruises on their necks, and they seemed quite nervous, like they were hiding something. Ah ha! It was obvious now to Cyrus what was going on, and he chuckled as he clasped one hand on Olberic's shoulder and the other on Erhardt's.

"I see, I think I know what happened." Cyrus said, nodding confidently. Olberic's face flushed a bright red, while Erhardt cleared his throat and continued to look anywhere but at Cyrus. "Really, you two, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Even warriors of your caliber can be bested by meer street ruffians at times."

A few moments of silence followed, and it was broken by Erhardt snorting to stifle a laugh, and Olberic shot him a glare as he nodded stiffly.

"Y-yes, that is indeed what happened. Some...clever thieves managed to get the jump on us is all. We, er, managed to take care of them." Olberic said quickly, avoiding looking Cyrus or H'aanit in the eye.

"I doth not thinketh thy ist correct, Cyrus." H'aanit chimed in, raising an eyebrow at Olberic, and then at Erhardt. The two men flinched as she continued, "These two woulde not haveth this much trouble with common thugs. What obviously happened ist that...they ran into some bolde lizardmen that hath ventured too closeth to the city. Ist that correct?"

Olberic and Erhardt both sighed with obvious relief, and Cyrus tilted his head, confused. He then looked at H'aanit and smiled. Her logic was sound; the lizardmen were indeed stronger than any human thugs, and they would have a reason to target Olberic and Erhardt, as they were the ones who vanquished their leaders.

"Ah, yes, that is what actually happened." Olberic said quickly, "I apologize for lying. I just, er, didn't want to alarm you two. That is all." Erhardt chuckled and Olberic turned around and shot him a glare.

"Oh, no harm done. I'm just relieved that you two are alright." Cyrus said, and H'aanit nodded in agreement.

"Yes, well, we should get some ale to celebrate." Olberic said, grabbing Erhardt by the arm and quickly dragging him into the tavern without another word. Cyrus watched them go before turning back to H'aanit.

"I had thought that the lizardmen would have ceased to be a problem after their leaders were disposed of. It is a good thing that those two intercepted them when they did."

"Aye, they must hath been outliers from the main group."

"Indeed. You are so astute, my dear." Cyrus smiled adoringly at H'aanit as she blushed.

"'Tis nothing. Thou ist much better at analyzing situations than me." she said, and Cyrus shook his head as he took her hand, placing a kiss on her knuckles.

"You do not give yourself enough credit, my darling. But come now, let us go back inside and enjoy some more drinks, shall we? We make for Marsalim tomorrow, so we should enjoy ourselves while we can." Cyrus said, and H'aanit nodded, a fiery determination blazing in her eyes that Cyrus deeply admired.

"Aye, youren right." she said, and they both ventured back inside, where they were greeted with the sight of Olberic and Erhardt sitting at their table, with Primrose grinning deviously at them, Therion sporting a shit-eating grin, Tressa and Ophilia both bright red in the face and avoiding looking at the two warriors, and Alfyn was already gathering the necessary amount of ale for a drinking contest.

"Oh dear. This will certainly be an interesting night." Cyrus said, gulping nervously as Alfyn spotted him and beckoned him eagerly to join him.

"Indeed." H'aanit said, smiling as she shook her head. She would focus on her mission tomorrow, when they would finally be setting out to hopefully corner Redeye and save her master from his unfortunate fate. For now, she would enjoy the company of her companions, and the man that had completely stolen her heart.

* * *

Hello yes I finally updated this! So these two are still my favorites, and yes Cyrus most definitely gets distracted all the time when his stronk badass girlfriend murders the shit out of monsters, and you can't change my mind. Also dat blatant Olberhardt that is subtle only to the oblivious wonder dorks lol Thanks for reading!


	9. A Huntress' Skill

Marsalim was a beautiful city, but the heat was every bit as unbearable as it was in the rest of the Sunlands. H'aanit sighed wearily; she was getting sick of being sweaty all the time, and having to keep cleaning copious amounts of sand out of her hair. She looked down at Linde, who was panting at her side and looking a bit miserable. 

"Ist thou alright, Linde?" H'aanit asked, her brow furrowing with concern as she reached down to stroke the fur on the snow leopard's head. Linde purred in response and nuzzled her partner's hand, and H'aanit chuckled. 

"Thou ist uncomfortable, but thou shalt stay by my side? Thou art a stalwart friend." Linde meowed happily as her tail swished back and forth. 

"Ah, H'aanit," She looked up to find Cyrus approaching, with two waterskins in his hands. "I found a spot to fill these up, please make sure to stay hydrated." 

H'aanit smiled and nodded as she took her waterskin, taking a long drink of the cool water that seemed to instantly restore her energy. She was glad that they had finally made it to Marsalim for more than one reason. Yes, it was most likely the final destination in her journey to save her master, but she was also relieved because Cyrus had been worrying the entire trip about her health. 

H'aanit didn't feel sick or anything, and she didn't think that she had done anything to make Cyrus think that she was. However, that didn't stop him from asking her every five minutes if she was adequately hydrated or in danger of sunburn or any number of other bad health scenarios. It had almost drove her mad, but she knew he was just concerned about her, so she decided to let it go. She did appreciate how much he cared. 

"Marsalim is very much how I expected it to be." Cyrus was saying when H'aanit pulled herself from her thoughts. 

"You knowest this town, Cyrus?" H'aanit asked, tilting her head curiously. 

"Why, but of course!" he exclaimed, his face lighting up with a childlike excitement that made H'aanit smile fondly. "That said, I know more about the Marsalim of old than the one that exists today. The ruler of this town can directly trace his lineage back to Marsalim the Wise..." 

H'aanit listened as Cyrus went on. He was always attractive, but H'aanit though that he had an extra dose of charm whenever he was lecturing. It seemed to come so naturally to him, the ability to spout endless knowledge about multiple subjects off the top of his head, and keep those who were listening completely focused on what he was saying. Well, she might be focused on him for a completely different reason. Like how brightly his eyes glimmered as he spoke with passion, or the way his lips moved while he did so... 

"...The Jade Palace, a home fit for the wisest of-" Cyrus was saying, but he was interrupted when H'aanit suddenly grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him down until her lips captured his. His startled noise was muffled as she kissed him, and H'aanit laughed at the dumbstruck look on his face when she pulled away.

"-kings. Hmm..." Cyrus breathed, finishing his last sentence as he blinked slowly. "I...seem to have lost my train of thought..." 

"'Tis unlike you." H'aanit said, smirking mischievously. Cyrus laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. 

"I fear that it is your fault, my dear." 

"Nay. Youren too alluring when thou ist lecturing so passionately. I couldeth not resist the urge to kisseth thee." H'aanit snorted to suppress her laughter when Cyrus' face flushed a bright red, and he cleared his throat bashfully as he rubbed at the back of his neck. 

"O-Oh, well, I did not realise that I, ah, had that kind of effect on people." Cyrus said, and H'aanit gave him a quick peck on the cheek. 

"I cannot speaketh foren other people, but thou certainly haseth that effect on me." Cyrus laughed and slipped his fingers under H'aanit's chin, tilting her head up so that she was looking directly into his eyes, and her heartbeat quickened at the intense look he was giving her. 

"Well, my darling H'aanit, you are the only one that I care to have that effect on anyway, so I hardly give a second thought about what others may think." Cyrus whispered against her lips, before he closed the miniscule space between them and kissed her again. H'aanit's laughter was swallowed up immediately as she wrapped her arms around Cyrus' neck and deepened the kiss. 

"For fuck's sake, get a room already!" 

"Ha! For real!" 

H'aanit and Cyrus jumped away from each other, faces burning red as they looked to see Therion and Tressa burst out laughing. H'aanit had forgotten that they were standing in the middle of the gods damn city. It was slightly unnerving how easily she lost track of her surroundings when she was with Cyrus. 

"Really guys? Just making out where everyone and their mother can see you? C'mon now." Therion teased, a shit-eating grin crossing his face. 

"I really didn't expect you two of all people to be the ones to be so...public with your affection." Tressa chimed in, giggling when Cyrus covered his face with his hands. 

"W-We shoulde findeth Eliza." H'aanit said quickly, grabbing Cyrus by the arm and dragging him away from Tressa and Therion as fast as she could. Linde let out an amused meow and quickly followed. 

"Be careful you two. We wouldn't want you to get arrested for public indecency now!" Therion called after them, and Tressa's howling laughter followed the retreating pair as they fled out of sight. 

"Those two..." H'aanit grumbled, pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest, her face still red with embarrassment. Cyrus chuckled and shook his head. 

"Well, they did have a point." Cyrus said, running a hand through his hair. "We should, ah, probably be more careful about our, er, displays of affection while in public." 

"Aye, I guesseth thou ist right..." H'aanit said, nodding slowly. She then took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, her eyes suddenly blazing with determination. She needed to focus now on the reason that she had come to this city in the first place. 

"Letten us findeth Eliza quickly. I needeth to hunt down and slay this Redeye." H'aanit said as she adjusted her bow on her back. 

"Indeed," Cyrus said, his demeanor shifting to a serious state. "Lead on, my dear. I will be with you every step of the way." 

"Thanketh thee, Cyrus," H'aanit said, a small smile crossing her face. "I appreciate it." He nodded and they ventured off to find Eliza, together. 

Cyrus couldn't help but be in awe of the Marsalim palace, and he gazed around thoughtfully at the intricate and beautiful architecture. He was waiting in the palace entryway for H'aanit to finish speaking with the king about the fate of his missing men, and about her plans to slay Redeye. Olberic and Ophilia were also waiting with him, as they had volunteered to join them in hunting down the foul beast. 

"What do you think of our odds against this Redeye, Cyrus?" Olberic asked, looking up from cleaning his sword. 

"I think we have a good chance. It will be a tough fight, I fear, given that the city guard was wiped out so easily. But, we do have an advantage that they did not." Cyrus said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. 

"The herb-of-grace." Ophilia chimed in, and Cyrus nodded. 

"Exactly. If it works like the seer said it would, then we will not have to worry about the petrifying effects that Redeye will try to inflict us with, if we can kill it before we run out of potions." 

"And if we do run out?" Olberic asked, and Cyrus shook his head. 

"We will not. I have the utmost faith in H'aanit's abilities as a hunter. With the rest of us backing her up, we should be in good shape." Cyrus said. He did feel incredibly confident about this fight. He trusted H'aanit completely, and wholeheartedly believed that she possessed the skills necessary to defeat this Redeye. Hells, she had slain a dragon after all. This couldn't be much harder than that, right? 

Olberic let out a rumbling chuckle. "You really are taken with her, aren't you, Cyrus?" The scholar blushed and fiddled with his coat. 

"Well, of course I am. She's...wonderful in every possible way." Cyrus said. Olberic barked out a laugh, and Ophilia giggled. 

"This is why Therion and Tressa tease you two so much. You are sickeningly sweet together." she said, and Olberic nodded in agreement. 

"W-We are?" Cyrus asked, tilting his head, confused. He didn't think his interactions with H'aanit were all that odd. He just said what was on his mind, and a lot of it was telling her how much he adored her. There was nothing wrong with that, was there? 

Footsteps interrupted their conversation, and Cyrus turned to see H'aanit decending the stairs towards them. Cyrus watched with awe as she strode up to them, her head held high, a determined gleam in her eyes, and her hand resting impatiently on the head of her axe that hung at her side. She looked absolutely breathtaking. 

"Ah, H'aanit, what is our plan of action?" Olberic asked, gently nudging Cyrus with his elbow so that he snapped out of his stupor. 

"Eliza and the city guard wilst cutten us a path through the monsters to the catacombs, wheren Redeye lies in wait. I planneth on asking Primrose and the others if they could assist them." H'aanit said, "We wilst then hunteth down Redeye and slay it. I appreciate you all foren helping me. I prayeth that I wilst not letten thee down." H'aanit bowed before her friends, and Olberic and Ophilia chuckled. Cyrus smiled fondly at H'aanit as he took her hand in his. 

"Oh, my dear. You do not have to be so formal about this. We would have happily agreed to help you even if you did not ask us to." Cyrus said, giving her hand a squeeze. Olberic placed a hand on her shoulder, and Ophilia took her free hand. H'aanit blinked at them for a moment before smiling broadly. 

"You'ren all too kindeth to me. I feeleth incredibly blessed to hath metten you all." she said, "Letten us showeth this Redeye whatten we can doeth." 

"Aye." 

"Indeed." 

"Yes!" 

The four fierce companions steeled themselves and went to speak to Eliza in order to set their plan in motion. 

Redeye had turned out to be an even more horrifying creature than H'aanit could have ever imagined. Breathing hard, she quickly lifted her ax to intercept an attack aimed for her head, as Ophilia was preoccupied with healing a nasty gash on Olberic's arm, while he also downed a herb-of-grace potion. If H'aanit had been keeping count right, that was the ninth one that the group had consumed. There was only one left. She had to end this quickly. 

"H'aanit!" She jumped back as a fireball hit Redeye in the face, and it let out a pained wail that was too human for her liking. Cyrus appeared at her side, smoke wafting off of the tips of his fingers. "Are you alright?" 

"Aye, I am fine-" H'aanit started, but she was interrupted when Redeye wailed again, and she realized too late that it had caught her, and probably Cyrus as well, in its petrifying gaze. Her heart sank; there was only one potion, and Cyrus had it. They would have to go on without her. She felt her feet start to stiffen up, and she closed her eyes to accept her fate. 

Suddenly, something was shoved into her mouth, and she tasted the odd, bitter taste of the herb-of-grace potion. She choked a bit, but most of the potion made it down her throat. Her eyes shot open to see Cyrus looming over her, and he tossed the empty potion bottle away and gave H'aanit a small smile. 

"C-Cyrus, what-" 

"I'm sorry, H'aanit," Cyrus said, turning his attention to Redeye. Spellbook in hand, he pointed his other hand at Redeye. "I know you can defeat this monster. Do not worry for me. I love you." 

"No, wait!" 

"Ignis Ardere!" Cyrus yelled, and as the three massive fireballs shot out of his hand and hit their mark right in the face, Cyrus' body suddenly froze, turning a dull shade of gray as the petrification took hold of him and turned him to stone. 

Time seemed to stop for H'aanit. Her jaw hung open in horror, and she felt like she had been punched in the gut. It should have been her. Cyrus...had sacrificed himself for her. No, she couldn't lose him, not like this. Redeye would not take the two most important people in her life. Not while she still lived. 

Letting out a rage-filled scream, H'aanit turned to the stunned Redeye, her green eyes blazing with an anger she had never felt before. She whipped out her bow and nocked three arrows at once, letting them fly right into the beast's ghastly red eyes. It reared back and let out a bellow, and H'aanit charged, pulling out her ax as she jumped onto its back. She quickly positioned herself over its neck, and brought down her ax, cutting into Redeye's grotesque black flesh. Black blood gushed out, covering her arms as she continued to hack at the fiend's neck, over and over, putting the force of her rage and sorrow behind every blow. Eventually, she heard a sickening crack as she shattered through Redeye's spine, and the beast let out a guttural scream as it finally collapsed and took its final breath. Moments later, it disintegrated into nothingness, and H'aanit staggered a bit as her feet hit solid ground. 

H'aanit blinked a few times as the victory fully registered in her mind and her adrenaline calmed down. She then turned and ran passed Olberic and Ophilia, who were gaping at her in stunned silence. 

"Cyrus!" H'aanit cried, skidding to a stop in front of the still-frozen scholar. With a shaky hand, she reached out and cupped his cold, stone cheek. 

"Please...please cometh back to me…" she whispered, holding her breath as the seconds ticked by agonizingly slow. The curse must be broken. It just had to be. 

Then, just like nothing had happened, color returned to Cyrus' body as the petrification wore off, and he stumbled forward a bit as he took in a deep breath. 

"Amazing! So that is what it is like to be petrified! I'll need to write this down as soon as we get back to town. Oh, I do hope I have a blank journal lying around-" Cyrus rambled, but was cut off as H'aanit pulled him into a deathgrip of a hug as she broke down sobbing, burying her face in his chest. 

"H'aanit...can't...breath…" Cyrus wheezed, and her grip only loosened slightly, and he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed her back gently and placed a kiss on the top of her head. 

"It's alright, my dear. I'm fine." he whispered, and H'aanit sniffed as she tried get her emotions under control. "I knew you could fell the beast. I am so, so proud of you. There is not a better hunter in all of Orsterra." H'aanit finally pulled her face from Cyrus' chest and she smiled up at him. 

"Thou ist such a fool, Cyrus." she said, as he reached up to wipe the tears still running down her cheeks. "Why did thee not taketh the potion?" 

"Well, you were the one most suited to taking down Redeye, so I could not just let you get petrified. That, and I do not think I could have forgiven myself if I had just let that happen to you." 

"I didst not enjoy seeing thee trapped in stone either." H'aanit said, frowning. "I was...scared. Because I would hath losteth thee and master if the curse was not broken." H'aanit's eyes suddenly widened and she gasped. "Master! We needeth to get to Stoneguard and see if he ist alright!"

"Of course. We can head there straight away. I know Primrose has business in Everhold, but it is on the way." Cyrus said. H'aanit nodded, smiling as she leaned up and gave Cyrus a tender kiss. 

"Aye. That soundeth like a good plan." she said, chucking as Cyrus blushed. "I thinketh my master will liketh you, Cyrus." 

"Ah, right. He is like a father to you, isn't he? I do hope you're right about that." Cyrus said, suddenly looking nervous as he fiddled with the collar of his coat. 

"Cyrus, H'aanit." H'aanit turned to find Olberic approaching them, looking a bit worse for wear, but luckily it seemed that Ophilia was able to patch up his arm well enough. Linde also bounded up from behind him, meowing happily as she rubbed against H'aanit and Cyrus' legs. Olberic smiled with amusement as he continued, "The city guards that were petrified have been cured. We should make haste back to town." 

H'aanit nodded. "Aye. Letten us be rid of this dank cave." she said, turning to smile at Cyrus as she took his hand. He smiled back and entwined their fingers, giving her hand a squeeze as they left together, and she had a renewed hope that she would find her master alive and well. She was most looking forward to introducing him to Cyrus.


	10. Respite

"Maken haste, Cyrus. We'ren almost there."

"H'aanit, please...I'm...so tired..."

H'aanit stopped running and turned to stare at her lover, who was doubled over and trying to catch his breath. They had only been running for about a mile, and that wasn't far at all. She really needed to help Cyrus get into better physical shape.

"Ah...hah...my dear, you don't have to rush. I'm sure your master will be waiting in Stoneguard for you to arrive." Cyrus said, smiling as he took H'aanit's hand. "And I believe we've lost the others-Oh, Linde caught up with us." H'aanit chuckled as her partner came trotting up behind them. She meowed and rubbed up against Cyrus' legs, causing him to smile brightly as he ran his hand through her fur.

"I guesseth thee ist right. I can see the stairs leading to town from here. We shoulde be there soon." H'aanit said.

Suddenly, screams pierced the air and both H'aanit and Cyrus jerked their heads in the direction of the sound, which seemed to be coming from a bit up the road. They glanced at each other before breaking into a run, with Linde close behind. They quickly came upon two people being set upon by a huge tiger. Cursing, H'aanit pulled out her bow and nocked an arrow, while Cyrus whipped out a spellbook.

However, before either of them could act, the tiger was struck from behind with a precisely shot arrow, and it immediately collapsed, dead. H'aanit and Cyrus blinked at each other, confused, until Hagen suddenly appeared and ran up to them, barking excitedly.

"Hagen! If thou art here, then..." H'aanit said as she pet his head, and she smiled as she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"What ho, H'aanit!"

Relief welled up inside of H'aanit as she watched Z'aanta stride up to her, grinning from ear to ear. It really did work, defeating Redeye. Her master was back to normal, thank the gods. Z'aanit stopped in front of her and gave her a once-over, before barking out a hearty laugh.

"Don't tellen me thou'st grown again!" he said, continuing to laugh as H'aanit rolled her eyes.

"Not in height, but if thou speakest in experience, then yes."

Cyrus watched silently as H'aanit and her master bantered back and forth, and he couldn't help but smile fondly at his lover. She was giving the older man a good lecturing for worrying her, but the smile on her face betrayed her true feelings. Cyrus knew that she was happy that Z'aanta was back to normal, and he was happy that she was happy.

"H'aanit, thanke thee. Thou'st done me proud."

H'aanit let out a yelp in protest as Z'aanta hoisted her into his arms, and Cyrus couldn't help but laugh as she struggled to free herself, her face flushing with embarrassment. Z'aanta's laughter joined his, and after he made sure the couple that had been attacked was alright, he finally turned his gaze upon Cyrus.

"Werein art thine manners, girl? Aren you going to introduceth me to thine friend?" Z'aanta said, glancing at H'aanit with an eyebrow raised. H'aanit blinked; she had almost forgotten that Cyrus was here too. Her face flushed a deeper shade of red, and she cleared her throat as she walked over so that she was standing at Cyrus' side.

"Er, master, this ist Cyrus Albright. He ist a scholar and a professor at the Royal Academy in Atlasdam." H'aanit said, "Cyrus, this ist my master, Z'aanta."

"A pleasure to finally meet you, sir." Cyrus said, smiling as he held out his hand, "H'aanit has told me so much about you! I can most definitely see where she learned her mastery of the bow." Z'aanta gave Cyrus a once-over and then barked out a laugh as he took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Goodeth to meeten thee too, Cyrus. And no needeth to callen me sir. It makeths me feelen old."

"I will keep that in mind, sir-Ahem, Z'aanta."

"So how didst you endeth up traveling together-"

"Hey guys! We finally caught up to you!"

Z'aanta was interrupted when Tressa came running up to H'aanit and Cyrus, with the rest of the group not far behind. Z'aanta turned to H'aanit, who just shrugged.

"I foundeth many new companions on my journey. 'Tis a long tale, mayhaps we should head to the tavern and I shall tell you all about it." she said, and her eyes narrowed when Z'aanta's eyes lit up at the word 'tavern.'

"That soundeth like a great idea, my dear prentice. Letten us go!" he said, and after a brief introduction to the rest of the group, they all headed into Stoneguard and made a beeline for the tavern. H'aanit hoped that she wouldn't regret suggesting the tavern as a meeting place.

"Oh wow! You killed a dragon with your bare hands?!"

"He ist lying, Tressa."

"My prentice, you woundeth me." Z'aanta said, pouting as H'aanit rolled her eyes and the rest of the table laughed. The tavern was loud and lively this night, mostly due to their full table listening to Z'aanta's very exaggerated hunting stories. H'aanit felt more relaxed than she had in a very long time. Now that her master was back to normal, it was like a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Cyrus, doest thou needeth a refill?" H'aanit asked when Z'aanta's had finished telling his latest story and the table split off into mini conversations.

"Ah, yes, I'd like another. Thank you." Cyrus said, proceeding to down the last mouthful of ale. H'aanit nodded and took the empty mug, her hand brushing his on the way, and a smile of adoration crossed his face.

"Aye, I shall be back shortly." she said, and she headed up to speak to the barkeep. Cyrus watched her go for a moment, and when he turned back to the table, he found that Z'aanta was staring at him over the rim of his mug as he took a drink. Cyrus tilted his head at him, confused, and watched as Z'aanta set his mug down and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So," he began, a sly smile crossing his face as he leaned back in his chair, "How longeth hath thee and my prentice been in love with each other?"

Cyrus stared at Z'aanta for a moment, before his face flushed a bright red and he cleared his throat to try and remove the lump that had formed there. Gods, how was he able to correctly come up with that conclusion without being told directly?

"W-Well, I cannot speak for H'aanit, but, ah, I've loved her for a good while now, even before I knew what exactly it was I was feeling for her." Cyrus said, rubbing his neck as he averted his gaze. Z'aanta laughed and slapped a friendly hand on Cyrus' arm.

"Really now? Whatten ist it that you seeth in her?" he asked, raising a curious eyebrow as he took a swig of his drink. Cyrus took note that Primrose and Ophilia were not-so-subtly listening in on the conversation, and he tried to ignore them as he looked Z'aanta in the eye.

"Well, where do I even start?" Cyrus began, earning a chuckle from Z'aanta. "H'aanit is an incredible woman. She is strong in many ways, be it physically or in character. She is loyal, honest, caring, selfless. She can be stubborn at times, but for all the right reasons, so I cannot honestly call that a fault. And she is the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen-"

"I thinke I getten the picture." Z'aanit interrupted, and Cyrus laughed sheepishly as he fiddled with his sleeves.

"Ah, sorry, I got a little carried away."

"Here, Cyrus." he looked up to see that H'aanit had returned, and she set a full mug of ale in front of him, and another in front of Z'aanta. "I am going to maketh sure that Linde and Hagen haveth enough water. I willst be back." The two men offered their thanks as H'aanit left again, and they both took long swigs before Z'aanta spoke again.

"'Tis funny," he started, earning a quizzical look from Cyrus. "You'ren not the kind of person that I woulde hath guessed that my prentice woulde bringeth home to me."

"Oh?" Cyrus asked, "Why is that?"

"She hath always heldeth physical strength in high regard. I predicted that she'd endeth up with someone a bit more muscular than thee."

"Well, she must see something good in me." Cyrus said as he shrugged, "I was actually afraid that she would never feel the same way about me as I did her. It was quite surprising."

"My prentice ist no fool, Cyrus." Z'aanta said, his tone turning oddly serious. "H'aanit hast never been interested in finding a partner before you. So thee needeth not worry about being goode enough, for she woulde only chooseth the best person for her."

"O-Oh," Cyrus stammered, embarrassed, "Well, I...thank you." He had been a bit nervous to finally meet H'aanit's father figure, but Z'aanta had turned out to be surprisingly accepting of the fact that he was dating his adoptive daughter.

Z'aanta chuckled as he tugged at his beard. "Thou doest not needeth to thanke me. H'aanit ist a smart woman, and can taken care of herself. If thou steppeth out of line, she wilst be sure to deal swift justice. And if she doth not, I wilst." Cyrus gulped as Z'aanta's voice took on a slightly threatening tone. Ah, this was more of what he expected from him. But, he also noticed the humor in the older man's eyes, and Cyrus just smiled and nodded.

"I am well aware, my good man. I have no intention of ever hurting her in any way. I care far too much for her." Cyrus said, and Z'aanta laughed.

"Good, good. 'Tis all I can asketh of thee." Z'aanta clinked his mug against Cyrus'. "Letten us getteth another rounde, eh?"

"Indeed." Cyrus said, noting that his mug was empty. He then jumped a bit in surprise when a full mug was slammed down in front of him.

"Y'all in for a drinking contest?" Alfyn said a bit louder than necessary as he grinned, looking back and forth between Z'aanta and Cyrus.

"Aye, sounds like a grande time!" Z'aanta said, and Cyrus nodded in agreement as they both stood and followed Alfyn to a seperate table with the other men. This was turning out to be a rather interesting night.

"Ugh, I'm done."

"Shucks, Therion, you're always the first out!"

H'aanit chuckled as Therion pouted at Alfyn, his flushed face and half-lidded eyes betraying his drunken status. He shrugged and moved to sit in between Tressa and Primrose at their table.

"Alfyn better not pass out this time. I'm not carrying him back to the inn again." Therion grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as Ophilia giggled.

"I'd be more worried about Cyrus tonight." Primrose said, earning a confused look from H'aanit. "It seems that your master has quite the influence on him."

H'aanit turned her attention to the contest table, her eyes narrowed as she watched Z'aanta sling his arm over Cyrus' shoulders as he laughed. She had never seen Cyrus truly drunk before, as he was very good at pacing himself. But, her master could be a notoriously bad influence sometimes, especially in a tavern setting like this one.

"Cyrus, thou muste keepeth up! Downeth this mug and start on another!" Z'aanta said, nudging Cyrus' mug with his own.

"Ah, I don't usually drink this quickly..." Cyrus said, a dusting of pink present on his cheeks, "Perhaps I should slow down."

"Nay! Thou cannot win a contest of drinking without, well, drinking! Keepeth up with me, at least." Z'aanta said, glancing over at Olberic and Alfyn, who were downing their drinks at a concerning rate. "Those two are liketh bottomless pits. Wheren doest it all goeth?"

"I've asked myself that many times before." Cyrus said, laughing as he finished off his mug. "It is settled then, I will do my best to keep up with you."

"Aye! That's a good lad!" Z'aanta said, pushing a full mug at Cyrus.

"Ah, yes! Well, 'bottoms up', as they say!"

H'aanit watched as the two men clinked their mugs together and drained the contents quickly. She wondered if she should step in and stop them. This...could end in disaster.

"Oh, don't worry about them, H'aanit." Primrose said, waving her hand nonchalantly. "They will be fine. If they truly start to get out of hand, we can intervene." H'aanit nodded slowly and let herself relax.

"Z'aanta is really cool, H'aanit!" Tressa said, "I bet it's been a blast being his apprentice!"

"Aye, he ist a great teacher, if a bit irresponsable at times."

"I'm surprised at how well he and Cyrus are getting along." Primrose chimed in. "Fathers usually tend to be a bit more wary about the men that their daughters bring home."

"I fear that they getteth along too well. My master tends to be a bad influence when alcohol ist involved, and Cyrus can be a bit clueless at times." H'aanit said, glancing over at the contest table, where the occupants all burst out laughing, with Olberic and Z'aanta's voices being the loudest.

"That's an understatement. Cyrus is laughably clueless. But you're not much better, H'aanit." Primrose said, laughing as she took a drink, "Watching you both try and court each other was rather painful at times." The rest of the women giggled as H'aanit pursed her lips, and even Therion let out a chuckle.

"Thou doest not needeth reminden me everyday…" H'aanit grumbled. Her attention was suddenly pulled to the contest table, when Cyrus shot up out of his chair, the movement almost knocking it to the ground.

"My focus is unparalleled!" he exclaimed, and he proceeded to lift a full mug of ale to his lips and down the contents with a few deep swigs. The rest of the men at the table cheered and followed suit, wasting no time in grabbing full mugs and repeating the process.

"Oh dear, they are getting quite rowdy, aren't they?" Ophilia said, trying to hide her amused smile behind her mug. H'aanit's eyes widened as she watched Cyrus' antics. Well, this was certainly a new side of him that she had not seen before.

"Good luck dealing with _that_ later." Therion said, winking at H'aanit. She narrowed her eyes at him, and Primrose chuckled with amusement.

"Oh, he'll probably be fine...Maybe." she said, ignoring the heated look that H'aanit shot her. "Therion, do be a dear and get us another round, will you?" Therion nodded in response and cleared the empty mugs from the table, before heading up to the bar. H'aanit watched him go, until her attention was pulled away when Cyrus' voice hit her ears.

"Oh my! My face is so warm! How fascinating!" H'aanit turned to see Cyrus holding his cheeks with both hands, his lips turned up in a goofy smile as he pushed on his face. The expressions he was making caused H'aanit to laugh until she snorted, and the other women at her table laughed as well.

"Ha! It seemeth that thee ist amusing to our table of ladies." Z'aanta said, not seeming to notice the glare that H'aanit was shooting him.

"Who?" Cyrus asked, blinking in confusion as he tilted his head.

"Shucks, Cyrus, don't tell me you've forgotten half of our friends?" Alfyn asked, taking a drink of ale as he leaned back in his chair, splashing some of the liquid on his shirt.

"I thought I was just here with you-Oh!" Cyrus started, as he turned to look at the table where H'aanit and the others sat. When his eyes locked with hers, the rest of what he was going to say was swallowed up in a gasp. He stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, before he leaned over and whispered something to Z'aanta. H'aanit watched as a sly grin crossed her master's face, and he whispered something back.

"Ah, yes!" Cyrus said as he pulled back, and he quickly jumped to his feet. H'aanit watched as he moved in her direction, seemingly unable to walk in a straight line as he stumbled awkwardly in his attempt to get to her.

"My dear," he said, pausing to let out a giggle and steady himself, "I could not help but notice how absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful you are." H'aanit blinked at him, confused, and she felt her cheeks heat up as he took her hand in his. "I must ask, are you perchance, romantically available?"

H'aanit just stared at him, not knowing how to respond to this. He must have drank way beyond his limit of alcohol tolerance in order to forget that they were together. H'aanit was going to have some stern words with Z'aanta about getting her lover so gods damn drunk. She opened her mouth to finally respond, but Primrose beat her to it.

"Ah, I am sorry, but she is, in fact, spoken for." the dancer said. Cyrus gasped and recoiled backwards dramatically, an absolutely devastated look crossing his face.

"O-Oh, I see…" he stammered out, stumbling off to the side. Unfortunately, Therion had picked that moment to return with more drinks, carrying four mugs, two in each hand. Cyrus crashed right into the theif, whose quick reflexes saved him from spilling the drinks as he lifted up his arms. Cyrus wrapped his own around Therion as he buried his face into his shoulder.

"Cyrus, what the hell?" Therion asked, an annoyed look crossing his face. Primrose and Tressa moved quickly to take the mugs from him before they could spill, but left him to try and pry Cyrus off of him on his own.

"Oh, Therion! My life is ruined!" Cyrus exclaimed, his voice muffled a bit against Therion's shoulder. H'aanit just stared at him in disbelief.

"What are you talking about? Get off me!" Therion growled as he tried to shove Cyrus away. He only succeeded in causing Cyrus to tighten his grip.

"It is truly the worst thing that could ever happen to me!" Cyrus continued, sniffing as he rubbed his face on the thief's shoulder. H'aanit raised an eyebrow. Was he...crying? "The most beautiful woman that I've ever seen is taken! How will I go on?" He gestured at H'aanit with one arm, and Therion stared at Cyrus as if he was the dumbest person in Orsterra. The rest of the men at the table burst out laughing, with Z'aanta laughing the loudest. Primrose and Tressa also dissolved into a fit of giggles, and Ophilia only barely managed to hold back her own amusement.

"Oh my gods…" Therion mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, she's taken...by you, you idiot." He finally succeeded in prying Cyrus' hands from his arms and pushed him back towards H'aanit, who stood up in time to catch her drunk-ass lover before he could fall over and hurt himself.

"R-Really?" Cyrus said, looking up at H'aanit with a look of absolute joy on his flushed face, and that was enough to make her blush with embarrassment.

"Yes, dear. We hath been together foren awhile now." H'aanit said, and Cyrus laughed as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Oh how the gods have blessed me so!" Cyrus exclaimed, gazing lovingly into H'aanit's eyes as his tears of sorrow turned into tears of joy. "Never in my 30 years of life have I seen a more beautiful woman! One of unparalleled strength and courage and-Whoops!" Cyrus' gushing was interrupted when his grip on H'aanit loosened and he fell to the floor on his back.

"Cyrus! Ist thou alright?" H'aanit asked, frowning with worry as she quickly knelt down next to him.

"Hmm...Is the ceiling supposed to be spinning like that? What an interesting phenomenon!" Cyrus said, laughing as he raised an arm above him and waved it about, as if he was tracing invisible lines above him. H'aanit sighed and shook her head.

"Gods help me…" H'aanit mumbled, staring down at her lover, unamused. She glanced over at the contest table to see how the other men were fairing. She saw that Alfyn's head was resting on the table; he was passed out cold, and Therion was arguing with Tressa about who was going to carry him to the inn this time. Olberic and Z'aanta had their arms around each other's shoulders, and they were both laughing hysterically. H'aanit then looked up at the bar, where the barkeep was watching them with an annoyed look on his face. It was probably time to call it a night.

"Take care of Cyrus, H'aanit." Primrose said, "We will handle the rest of these drunkards." H'aanit watched as Ophilia went to speak with Olberic and Z'aanta, while Tressa and Therion teamed up to deal with the incapacitated Alfyn.

"Aye. Good luck." H'aanit said, smiling when Primrose laughed and went to help Ophilia. H'aanit then looked back to the floor, where Cyrus was gazing up at her with half-lidded eyes.

"Come now, letten us go back to the inn." she said, as she bent down and lifted Cyrus into her arms. He laughed and flailed a bit, causing H'aanit to stumble forward and drop him back on the ground.

"Cyrus!" H'aanit said, her face scrunching up with annoyance.

"Ah, oops, sorry, my dear. I'm just having so much fun!" Cyrus protested, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly. H'aanit glared at him and tried three more times to pick him up, only to repeat the same result.

"This ist ridiculous." H'aanit growled, and Cyrus dissolved into giggles again. She suddenly grabbed him by the waist, hoisted him over her shoulder, and held his legs under his knees in a vice grip. He yelped in surprise when she stood up, and he wrapped his arms around her torso from behind.

"Mmmmm, my dear, you're so strong...I do love it so." Cyrus mumbled, and H'aanit felt him rub his face against her back. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face. H'aanit bid farewell to the others and headed outside.

"Thou ist an incredibly disastrous drunk, Cyrus." H'aanit said, pausing to wake up Linde, who had fallen asleep against the outside wall of the tavern. She meowed and tilted her head at Cyrus, who laughed and reached out to try and pet her, but he kept missing.

"Oh, I do think you're overreacting, darling." Cyrus mused. He started lazily tracing his fingers over H'aanit's abs over her shirt, and she shivered slightly as her face flushed.

"Thou forgotten that we were together." H'aanit said, and Cyrus just laughed, and H'aanit felt him shake his head against her back.

"Well, it is not surprising to me in the least. I am still flabbergasted that the most beautiful person in Orsterra chose me of all people as a partner! I am so, so lucky."

"I could sayeth the same about thee."

"Oh, H'aanit...H'aanit," Cyrus mumbled, tightening his grip on her. "Please, ask me why I love you so much!"

"Why doest thou loven me so much?"

"I am so glad you asked!" Cyrus said excitedly, and H'aanit couldn't hold back her laughter, "Because if I had to write it down, I fear that there isn't enough stationary in the world to hold everything! Although, verbalizing it may take weeks, even months to truly-"

"Well then, thou best starteth now, foren I'm putting thee to bed as soon as we getten to the inn." H'aanit heard Cyrus gasp and he mumbled incoherently to himself.

"Oh dear...well, I better start with the best things then…"

H'aanit just shook her head as she listened to Cyrus ramble on while she walked. He started by gushing about how amazing she smelled all the time, 'like a forest of pine trees just after a spot of rain.' He was definitely exaggerating, for she felt that most of the time she smelled like sweat, due to the large amount of physical activity she did during the day.

Next he proceeded to tell her that the exact moment that he realized that he was in love with her was when she delivered the killing blow to the dragon that had been guarding the herb-of-grace in Stillsnow. H'aanit couldn't help but wonder if Cyrus was actually just gods damn crazy, or was dropped on his head too many times as a child.

Cyrus then went off on a tangent about how adorable Linde was. He began throwing out random facts about snow leopards, like how some snow leopards have home ranges of up to 1,000 square kilometers, and that they have light green or gray eyes, which is unusual for big cats.

After what seemed like an eternity, H'aanit finally reached the inn, and she quickly made her way up the stairs, ignoring the stares from the innkeeper on the way.

"...And did you know that snow leopards have large paws that help them walk on top of the snow. What amazing creatures they are!" Cyrus was saying as H'aanit entered the room that the men were sharing. She just chuckled as she approached one of the beds.

"I agree, dear. Now, 'tis time for bed." H'aanit said, and she went to pull Cyrus from her shoulder, but he wrapped his arms tightly around her torso, stopping her.

"Cyrus-"

"But H'aanit, I'm not ready to leave your side. My nights are incredibly lonely without you!" he whined, his face rubbing against her back. H'aanit rolled her eyes and tugged harder on his legs.

"Thou ist being stubborn. We wilst seeth each other in the morn." H'aanit said, but her words did not seem to sway Cyrus. She struggled a bit longer, trying to loosen his hold on her, when he finally let go. Unfortunately, she had been pulling hard at that exact moment, so she ended up flinging him roughly onto the bed, and she stumbled onto it after him.

"Hehe, got you!" Cyrus said, as he quickly wrapped his arms around H'aanit and pulled her close, so that he could nuzzle his face against her neck. H'aanit's face flushed as she tried wiggling free of his grasp.

"Cyrus, letten me go-" she protested, but was silenced when Cyrus' lips covered hers in a sloppy, drunken kiss. Her eyes went wide for a moment, but they slowly slipped shut as she chuckled and returned the kiss. Well, she had certainly fallen in love with a most interesting man, but she would not have it any other way. When they finally pulled away, Cyrus was gazing at H'aanit with a look of complete adoration, and it took her breath away.

"You are so...intoxicating, H'aanit." Cyrus whispered, lethargically brushing a few strands of hair out of her face.

"That mayhaps be the ale talking."

"Oh no. If I am drunk on anything, my darling, it is your love." H'aanit flushed a bright red as his fingers gently caressed her cheeks. "I fear that it takes all of the willpower that I have not to spend all of my time and energy kissing those sweet lips of yours, and telling you how much you really mean to me."

"Cyrus…" H'aanit breathed, her eyes widening as she reached up to cup his face. She kissed him again, soft and tender, and she smiled against his lips when he sighed contently.

"I love you, H'aanit. So, so much more than words can say..." Cyrus said when they parted, his eyes gazing lovingly into her own. Slowly, his eyelids finally slipped shut, and soon he was snoring softly as he drifted off to sleep.

"I loveth you too, Cyrus." H'aanit said, watching as a bright smile crossed his sleeping face. She chuckled and shook her head, and was finally able to slip out of his grasp. She removed Cyrus' coat and boots, and tucked him into bed. She placed a last kiss on his forehead, when the door to the room was flown open.

"Gods, finally." Therion was saying as he and Tressa dragged Alfyn into the room. They tossed the inebriated apothecary onto a bed, and Therion threw himself onto another.

"Hey, H'aanit!" Tressa said, "I'm glad you two made it here without any issues."

"Aye, none that were not caused by Cyrus, anyway." H'aanit said as she brushed Cyrus' hair from his face. Tressa laughed, and Ophilia and Primrose entered the room, struggling to support Olberic.

"Curse these gods damn legs of mine. Why won't they cooperate?" Olberic was muttering to himself, and Primrose rolled her eyes as she and Ophilia deposited him on the last bed.

"It's the alcohol, dear Olberic. Get some sleep." Primrose said, and after a bit of incoherent mumbling, he did just that.

"Gods, it's like babysitting a bunch of man children." Primrose said, sighing deeply. Ophilia giggled, and then turned to H'aanit.

"H'aanit, your master went to stay with Natalia. Hagen was with him, so he probably made it there safely." she said, "He said he would stop by here in the morning."

"Aye, thanke thee."

"Well, goodnight Therion. Do make sure the rest of these idiots don't die in their sleep, would you?" Primrose said as she made for the door.

"Yeah, no promises there," Therion said, waving his hand as he rolled over, "Goodnight."

With that, the women returned to their own room, and they all fell asleep rather quickly, exhausted by the night's activities.

As usual, H'aanit was the first to wake in the morning, and she decided to take a stroll about town with Linde before breakfast. When she returned to the inn, the aftermath of the night before was beginning to surface.

"Ugh...my head…" H'aanit chuckled when she saw Alfyn sitting at a table, his head resting on Primrose's shoulder, while she rubbed his back gently. Olberic sat opposite of them, his head resting in his hands as he massaged his temples. Ophilia sat next to him, her eyes looking droopy and her face scrunched up. She looked uncomfortable.

"Good morning, H'aanit." Primrose said when the huntress sat down.

"'Morning. Ophilia, ist thou alright?" H'aanit asked as she grabbed a piece of bread from the basket on the table.

"Our resident cleric is actually hungover." Primrose said with a grin, and Ophilia pouted at her. H'aanit blinked in surprise. Ophilia was normally pretty good at watching her alcohol intake. Gods, her master really did have a bad influence on everyone.

"Ah, good morning you two." H'aanit turned around as Primrose spoke to find Tressa and Therion descending the stairs.

"Morning!" Tressa said happily, a contrast to the slight miserable atmosphere in the room. Therion rolled his eyes and looked at H'aanit.

"You might want to go check up on Cyrus. I don't think he's doing too well." he said, and H'aanit nodded as she stood up.

"Good luck." she heard Primrose call after her as she ascended the stairs. H'aanit hoped that Cyrus wasn't in too bad of shape; they were supposed to start heading towards Grandport today, as they didn't want Tressa to be late for the Merchants' Fair.

H'aanit slowly entered the room and quietly closed the door behind her. It was dark, so she opened the curtains, letting in the bright sunlight. As soon as she did, a loud groan was heard coming from Cyrus' bed, and H'aanit turned to see Cyrus roll over and pull the blankets over his head.

"'Morning, love." H'aanit said, moving to sit down on the edge of the bed. Cyrus groaned again as he slowly rolled over onto his back, his eyes squinted, as if the light was painful.

"Oh gods," Cyrus said, reaching up to cover his face with his hands. "W-What in Aelfric's name happened last night? I feel like I took a few dosen blunt force blows to the head."

"Thou doest not remember?" H'aanit asked, raising an amused eyebrow.

"Well…" Cyrus said, groaning as he pushed himself into a sitting position, "The last thing I remember is...agreeing to keep up with Z'aanta in our drinking contest...Everything after that is just a blur." H'aanit just chuckled and Cyrus looked at her, confused.

"This ist what happened afterward…" H'aanit said, and she retold the events of the night. When she was done, Cyrus' face had turned pink and he looked mortified.

"I...I am never drinking again." he said, getting out of bed with H'aanit's help. "How incredibly embarrassing."

"To be fair, the other men didst not faireth any better." H'aanit said as they headed downstairs.

"I guess that makes me feel a bit better. Ah, I'm sorry you had to deal with me in so sorry of a condition, my dear." Cyrus said, and H'aanit just laughed.

"'Tis alright. Thou was rather cute, actually." she said, and Cyrus blushed.

"Oh dear, you are far too forgiving of me."

"T'was a bit annoying to deal with thee at the time, but now I can looketh back on it and laugh." H'aanit took Cyrus' hand and gave it a squeeze. "Do tryest to be more careful in the future, though."

"Oh, don't worry, I will." Cyrus said, stealing a quick kiss from her lips as they joined the others. After treating the hungover with plenty of food and water, the group gathered their belongings and were ready to move on by midday.

"Ah, H'aanit! Here you are!"

"'Tis about time you madeth it here, master." H'aanit said, looking up from loading her quiver as Z'aanta entered the inn.

"Aye! I couldst not misseth seeing my prentice off!"

"What aren your plans?"

"Well," Z'aanta pulled at his beard, "I thinke I wilst stayeth with Natalia foren a few more days, and then head back to S'warkii with Hagen. I assumeth that thee still hast things to taken care of?"

"Yes." H'aanit said with a nod. "Some of my companions still have business to taken care of, and I wilst be by theren sides until they are done. Cyrus actually has business in Duskbarrow."

"Does he now? That ist not too far from S'warkii. Be sureth to stoppen in and seeth your old master when thou ist done with your quest."

"I will."

"Good day, Z'aanta!" Cyrus said as he approached, smiling brightly. H'aanit was relieved to see that he looked to be in much better shape than he had been in when he awoke in the morning.

"Ho, Cyrus. I heardeth that thee hast buisness in Duskbarrow. Thou musteth stoppen by S'warkii whilst in the Woodlands. I would liken to getten to know thee better."

"Oh, of course!" Cyrus said excitedly, "I will be sure to do just that!"

When everyone was gathered at the inn and ready to depart, H'aanit bid farewell to Z'aanta and they parted ways once more. As she left Stoneguard for the third time, the second with Cyrus' hand clasped in hers, she felt refreshed and ready to take on whatever life was going to throw at her next.

"And we're off again." Cyrus said, smiling at H'aanit. "I do believe I will miss adventuring with everyone once this is all over. Won't you, H'aanit?"

"Aye. I hath madeth many good friends on this journey." she said, nodding, "It hast been fun, between the peril and misfortune."

"Indeed. I do hope finding 'From The Far Reaches Of Hell' proves to be relatively painless."

"T'will probably be fine. I willst be by thine side to protect thee, after all." H'aanit said, and Cyrus laughed and squeezed her hand.

"Of course! You've pulled me out of some pretty perilous situations already, what's one more?"

H'aanit rolled her eyes as they continued to banter back and forth, heading off to their next adventure. She knew that, no matter what was waiting for them, she would always be right by Cyrus' side, and he by hers.

* * *

Drunk Cyrus was incredibly fun to write and is easily one of my favorite parts of this entire fic lmao Thanks for reading!


	11. A Scholar's Fear

It's been 3000 years...I'm sorry this took so long to update y'all, I got distracted by life and other things *coughThreeHousescough*

Anyway, you may have noticed that the rating has been bumped up to M, and that's because there's a good ol' smut scene in this chapter. If you're not a filthy degenerate like me, it's pretty easy to skip. It starts when H'aanit says "Cyrus, I want you." You can then just skip to the next line break to resume without the spiciness lol

Also, the next chapter will be the last one! Will I finish it before the anniversary of starting this fic? (holy shit it's almost been a year since I started this stupid thing what the fuck?) Knowing me, probably not lmao but I will try! Thanks for reading!

* * *

The journey to Duskbarrow from Stoneguard had been a long one, due to their various pit stops at other locations along the way, but H'aanit was glad to finally be back in the Woodlands. She had never had the chance to visit this particular town before, and the various ancient ruins scattered about caught everyone's attention, but no one was more interested in them than Cyrus. He was practically shaking with excitement as his eyes darted from one ruined structure to the next, his eyes shining with that familiar eagerness to learn new things. H'aanit smiled fondly at him. He really was extra endearing when he was in these kinds of giddy moods.

"So our journey finally bringeth us to Duskbarrow." H'aanit said, giving Cyrus' hand a gentle squeeze. He turned to look at her, the huge smile on his face almost blindingly bright.

"Indeed. Are you happy to be back in the Woodlands, my dear?" Cyrus asked, his eyes locking with hers as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. Her face flushed red, and H'aanit was glad that the rest of their companions had dispersed to explore the village. She and Cyrus had been teased enough about their public displays of affection.

"Aye. I hath always loved it here." H'aanit said as she snaked her arms around Cyrus' waist, "Although, I hath never been to this town. I hath heard stories, however."

"Oh?"

"'Tis famous for the ruins that surround it." H'aanit's eyes left his for a moment so that she could scan the area around them. "Many of them daten back to the age of legends."

"A thousand years into the past…" Cyrus' voice had a whimsical tone to it, and H'aanit chuckled.

"Thou ist rather cute when excited about learning new things." H'aanit said, and she laughed when Cyrus' cheeks turned pink.

"Well, thank you, my dear. I certainly cannot hold a candle to you, though. You manage to be cute every second of every day." Cyrus said, and it was H'aanit's turn to flush a bright red.

"Cyrus…" H'aanit said as she averted her gaze. Gods, would she ever get used to him gushing over her? It was bad enough when he had been doing it without realizing, back when they were both oblivious to their feelings for one another. Now that they were together, everything he said was in earnest, and it was enough to fluster her.

"H'aanit, my love," Cyrus said, his fingers slipping under her chin. He gently lifted her head back up, and she stubbornly kept her eyes off of him. He laughed and placed a kiss on her forehead, which finally got her to look him in the eyes, and he continued, "you're not embarrassed by my affections, are you?"

"Mayhaps...a little."

"That is quite a shame, for I am always holding myself back from showing you in all of the love and adoration that you deserve." Cyrus moved his face close to hers, his lips dangerously close to grazing hers. "You're oh-so-endearing, my darling. You make me want to kiss you breathless." H'aanit's breath caught in her throat, but she saw the teasing smiling he was giving her, and she grinned right back at him.

"Well then, what ist thou waiting for?"

"Huh?"

"Kissen me already." Before Cyrus could respond, H'aanit closed the minuscule space between them and kissed him roughly. Cyrus didn't respond for a moment, probably in shock from having his bluff called. He then chuckled as he smiled against her lips, and his hand moved to the back of her head to deepen the kiss.

"Honestly you two, this again? Would it kill either of you to at least wait until you're out of the public eye to start making out?"

Cyrus and H'aanit reluctantly pulled away from each other, faces beet red as they looked at Primrose, a shit-eating grin on her face as she placed her hands on her hips. Gods damn it, why did this always happen? H'aanit was never really one for gratuitous physical affection like this. But then she started dating Cyrus, and now it seemed like she could never get enough of him. This was...perplexing.

"Ahem, I beg your pardon, Primrose." Cyrus said, a sheepish laugh escaping him as he rubbed the back of his neck, "It, ah, won't happen again."

"Right." Primrose said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe I should lock you two alone in a room for a while so that you can get this out of your system, hm?"

H'aanit and Cyrus shared a glance before they both flushed a deep red and looked away from each other.

"N-No needeth foren that." H'aanit said quickly.

"Quite. We will conduct ourselves with-" Cyrus began, but he stopped when his eyes widened as he looked past Primrose.

"Is that...Lucia?" Cyrus said. H'aanit followed his gaze and saw she a dark haired woman walking towards the ruins. Who was she?

"I cannot let her out of my sight!" Cyrus exclaimed, suddenly breaking into a run after the woman. H'aanit blinked in confusion as she looked at Primrose, who shrugged in response. They took off after Cyrus, with Linde hot on their heels. She saw Cyrus turn a corner, and H'aanit had to stop herself quickly to avoid barreling right into his back, as he had stopped just around the bend.

"Cyrus?" she asked, moving to stand beside him. They were standing in front of a weird looking door among the ruins. She looked at Cyrus, and his face was scrunched up, brow furrowed and his lips turned downward into a frown.

"She was just here...where could she have gone?" Cyrus mumbled, his eyes scanning the door.

"Cyrus, who ist thou talking about?" H'aanit asked as Primrose and Linde caught up with them.

"Ah, right. I don't think I told you about Lucia, did I?" Cyrus said, turning to look at her. "She was Yvon's assistant, and the one who tricked me in Stoneguard, leading to my...unfortunate predicament there." H'aanit's eyes narrowed at that. So, the one that almost got him killed was still alive. The thought made her blood boil, and her hand moved to rest on her ax.

"Well, I don't see her anywhere. Do you think she went back into town?" Primrose asked, looking back the way they came. Cyrus shook his head as he turned his attention back to the door.

"No, the only clear path back to town is the one that we just came from. She must have gone into the ruins through this door, but the question is how…" he said, rubbing his chin as he chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip. H'aanit scanned the door, her head tilting as she blinked, confused. This really wasn't something that she was an expert on. What kind of ancient mechanism would open this door?

"Ah, I thought I spotted you three." H'aanit and Primrose turned to find Olberic approaching them. "Did you find anything out about that book you are looking for, Cyrus?" Cyrus didn't answer, as he was fiddling with the door and mumbling to himself. Olberic shared a look with H'aanit and Primrose, and they both just shrugged and waited for Cyrus to do his investigating thing. A few moments passed, and a loud grinding sound pierced through the air as the door split in two and opened.

"Aha! There we go!" he exclaimed, turning to look at H'aanit, and she chuckled when she saw the look of delight on his face.

"Aye, goode job." H'aanit said, smiling as she placed her hand on Cyrus' arm.

"Indeed. These ruins must be full of contraptions like this." Olberic said, and Primrose nodded in agreement.

"Oh most certainly! I cannot wait to explore them thoroughly! But, we should find Lucia first. She may know where _From the Far Reaches of Hell_ is." Cyrus said, his gaze passing over each of his three friends. "And we should be careful. I do not know what Lucia is planning, but it cannot be anything good." H'aanit nodded along with the others, and they proceeded into the ruins, not knowing what exactly they would find.

* * *

Cyrus had a bad feeling about these ruins. He, H'aanit, Primrose, and Olberic had just entered an area filled with bookshelves overflowing with books, both old and new. In the previous room, they had passed a wall covered in colorful illustrations, which were High Hornburgian in nature. He could not decipher the runes quite yet, but Primrose had remarked at how spooky the images were, and Cyrus could not help but agree. It was rather...ominous.

The four of them dispersed to examine the bookshelves, and Cyrus' eyes widened as he scanned some of the book titles. He recognized the titles of books that were said to be lost ages ago. He pocketed a book that looked to be a dictionary for translating ancient tongues; it would probably be useful later. This place was certainly an enigma…

"Cyrus, looke out!"

Suddenly, someone shoved Cyrus roughly, and he stumbled as he was thrown into a bookshelf, knocking several tomes to the floor as he tumbled down himself. He quickly pushed himself to his knees as he looked up, and the color drained from his face at the sight before him.

Lucia was dragging H'aanit up the staircase in the middle of the room, who was prevented from freeing herself by the knife pressed against her neck. H'aanit must have struggled a little bit, for blood was slowly leaking down her neck from a shallow cut just above her collarbone. Primrose and Olberic had rushed to the bottom of the stairs, dagger and sword drawn, but they did not dare move any closer. With H'aanit as a hostage, they could not do much without risking her life, and Cyrus' heart beat frantically inside his chest as an icy fear that he had never felt before flooded through him.

"Lucia, let her go!" Cyrus yelled, the overwhelming fear he felt causing his voice to crack. His hands clenched into fists when Lucia just laughed, and his eyes narrowed into a heated glare.

"Professor, you truly are every bit as brilliant as old Yvon said." Lucia said, a malicious grin spreading across her face. H'aanit was silent and stone faced as she stood stock still, with Lucia holding her arm in a vice grip while keeping the knife pressed against her neck. Sweat began to bead on Cyrus' forehead, his eyes moving back and forth from H'aanit's to the blood running down her neck.

"I did not come here for your false flattery! H'aanit has nothing to do with this! Let her go, now!" he pleaded, his nails digging into his palms as his hands clenched tighter.

"Oh, but she does. Who knew that the ever oblivious Professor Albright would actually fall in love. How sweet. And with such a strong and beautiful woman as well." Lucia taunted, dragging the tip of her dagger dangerously along H'aanit's chin. H'aanit still did not move, the blank expression on her face not giving away any emotions whatsoever.

However, when his eyes met H'aanit's, her eyes kept shifting to her left. He didn't dare directly look at where she was looking, as he didn't want Lucia to notice, so he used his peripheral vision. He caught sight of a flash of white, and he understood why H'aanit appeared so calm. He knew what he had to do.

"To think that you were the one pulling the strings…" Cyrus said, his gaze shifting back to Lucia, "The headmaster was merely your puppet all along."

"Yes, I got him into that position in the first place, but his willful streak got in the way…" Cyrus was barely paying attention as Lucia continued taunting him and bragging about her plans. He never would have guessed that she was the puppet master in this plot, but that didn't matter now, he just needed to keep her talking.

"...I might be persuaded to let your lover go without further harm…but only if you decide to join me in my research. What do you say, Professor?" Lucia asked after her rambling had ceased. She pressed the dagger tightly against H'aanit's neck, and Cyrus gulped nervously, but another flash of white behind Lucia gave him hope.

"Ridiculous. If that is a jape, it is a poor one." Cyrus said, his tone taunting. Lucia frowned, her eyes narrowing into a heated glare.

"You cannot tell me that you were not interested in the supposedly lost tomes? Or the wall paintings?"

"...To say that I was not intrigued would be a lie."

"Of course you were!" Lucia yelled as she angrily waved her arm in front of her, pulling the dagger away from H'aanit's neck. That was what Cyrus was hoping for, and a loud roar echoed in the ruins as Linde suddenly pounced on Lucia from behind, sinking her teeth into the arm that held H'aanit. Lucia screamed and H'aanit wrenched herself away, quickly drawing her bow and descending the stairs to rejoin her friends.

"Linde, come!" H'aanit yelled, and Linde jumped away just in time to avoid a swipe from Lucia's dagger. A wave of relief crashed through Cyrus as he grabbed H'aanit's arms.

"You-You're safe…" he said. H'aanit just nodded and looked back at Lucia.

"Aye, but we have a problem." she said, and Cyrus looked on in horror as Lucia let out a frustrated yell and pulled out a blood crystal.

"...Fine, if you would rather die than discover the truth, so be it!" she growled, and in a flash of red and purple light, a grotesque monster took the place of the human Lucia.

"Gods have mercy…" Olberic said, his grip tightening on his sword. Primrose grit her teeth, a disgusted look on her face as she held up her dagger. Cyrus looked at H'aanit, a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay to fight-" he started, but the irritated look that she shot him silenced him.

"I wilst be fine. I can taketh much more than this." H'aanit said as she nocked an arrow in her bow. Cyrus was not convinced, but suddenly Lucia charged, forcing him and his wise companions to scramble out of the way. His concerns would have to wait, so he pulled out a spell book and the fight commenced.

It was a long and dangerous battle, but eventually Lucia was brought down by a well-aimed arrow that pierced right through her neck. She collapsed to the ground, breathing heavy as she glared at Cyrus with ghastly red eyes.

"No...there is...so much more...I must learn…" she rasped, fingers digging into the ground as black blood oozed from her mouth.

"It is unfortunate that you will not live to pass on your knowledge to future generations." Cyrus said, wiping the sweat from his brow as he closed his spell book. Lucia's heated glare never left him, even as her body disintegrated into nothingness. Cyrus sighed and shook his head, before he immediately rushed over to H'aanit, whose hand was covering her neck as blood oozed out from between her fingers.

"Hold still, my dear." Cyrus said as he held his hand over the cut. She removed her hand as he used his healing magic to stop most of the bleeding, but his mediocre healing skills wouldn't mend all of it. She needed to see Alfyn, and quickly.

"H'aanit, we should get you out of here and-"

"Nay," H'aanit said, cutting him off, "You still needeth to find that book. I can getten out of here on my own."

"But-" Cyrus started to protest, but Primrose cut him off this time.

"I can escort her back. You and Olberic focus on finding the book." Cyrus nervously looked from her to H'aanit, and he eventually nodded.

"Alright. Be careful." Cyrus said, pulling H'aanit into a brief hug. She hugged him back, and smiled at him when she pulled away.

"I will." she said, and he watched as Primrose took her by the arm and they headed back the way they came.

When they were out of site, Cyrus' legs suddenly gave out and he fell to his knees. Olberic quickly knelt down beside him, a firm hand gripping Cyrus' shoulder.

"Are you alright, Cyrus?" he asked, eyes wide as he looked Cyrus over for injuries. Cyrus gulped and shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked up at Olberic.

"No, no I am not alright," he said, swallowing thickly as a few tears fell down his face. "Olberic...H'aanit could have died. I-She pushed me out of the way. Lucia was trying to attack me. I almost lost the person that I love the most." Olberic was silent for a moment as Cyrus tried to compose himself, and Olberic placed a comforting hand on his back.

"You didn't, though. Your quick thinking saved her. You noticed that Linde was moving to pounce, and you distracted Lucia. She is alive." Olberic said, and Cyrus sniffed and shook his head.

"I had never known that kind of fear before. The thought of losing her...it is unfathomable." Cyrus choked out, his soft crying dissolving into sobs. Olberic pulled Cyrus into a hug and let him cry out his overwhelming emotions onto his shoulder. A minute went by, and Cyrus finally managed to calm himself. He pulled away from Olberic and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"Come," Olberic said as he stood up and helped Cyrus to his feet, "Let us find the book you need and be done with it. Then you can go and speak to H'aanit. I'm sure Alfyn will have her fixed up quickly. Especially if Ophilia is there to help."

"You're right," Cyrus said, and he managed to push his concern for H'aanit to the back of his mind for now, as he resumed his search for _From the Far Reaches of Hell_.

* * *

H'aanit was glad that Alfyn was such a good apothecary, for she probably would be having a much rougher time dealing with her neck wound if he wasn't. She rubbed at the fresh bandage around her neck; Alfyn had just changed it for her, and Ophilia had even used some of her healing magic to help speed up her recovery. Alfyn had told her to rest, but she was feeling antsy. She wanted to go and help Cyrus find that book, if he hadn't already found it. She had already been waylaid for too long a time while Alfyn patched her up.

She had just finished putting her boots back on, when the door to the room that she shared with the other women was thrown open, and Cyrus burst into the room.

Cyrus panted heavily as he closed the door behind him, worn out from running all the way here from the ruins. He turned to H'aanit, the relief and fear that he had felt in the ruins coming back to him in full force. Gods, he was so thankful that she hadn't been critically injured, or worse, just outright killed. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he moved to close the distance between them without a word.

"Cyrus, what-" H'aanit started to ask as she stood up, but she was cut off when he quickly crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her, swallowing up her words as he kissed her roughly. H'aanit's eyes went wide as she grabbed his arms, startled by his aggressiveness. Her eyes started to slip shut as she returned his kiss, but she stopped. Something was wrong.

H'aanit slowly reached up and cupped Cyrus' cheeks, and she was surprised when she felt moisture. She gently pushed against his face until he pulled away, and her heart sank when she saw the tears that were running down his cheeks.

"Cyrus...whaten ist wrong?" H'aanit asked, wiping away his tears with her thumbs, and she frowned when they were quickly replaced. Cyrus gulped and sniffed as he averted his gaze. His grip on her tightened as he slowly looked back at her.

"H'aanit, I…" Cyrus started, pausing to take a shaky breath. "I was...so terrified when Lucia abducted you. The entire time she had that knife pressed against your neck...I had never been so scared in my entire life." He slowly reached up to lightly brush his fingers over the bandage on her neck, and H'aanit shivered slightly.

"I am fine, Cyrus. It all turned out okay."

"But what if it hadn't? If you had died for my sake...I can't even imagine what I would have done. I...I can't even imagine my life without you." Cyrus said, his eyes squeezing shut as his voice dropped to a whisper. "Why did you put yourself in such a dangerous situation?"

H'aanit stared at him with a blank look on her face. Her eyes then narrowed into a glare, and she pulled herself from his embrace and crossed her arms over her chest angrily.

"Thou ist spouting bullshit, Cyrus." H'aanit growled. Cyrus' eyes widened and he stared at her, shocked into silence. "Doest thou not rememberen all of those times that thee hast almost gotten thyself killed foren my sake? Thou ist being hypocritical, getting upset with me about this."

H'aanit clenched her jaw, feeling hot tears beginning to prick at the corners of her eyes. "When...when thou wast turned to stone by Redeye, I...I experienced a fear that I had not before. I hath battled many a terrifying beast, but nothing is more terrifying to me than the idea of not spending the rest of my life by your side." H'aanit opened her mouth to say more, but she realized what she had just said and her jaw snapped shut, her gaze shifting to the ground.

Agonizing silence filled the room, and H'aanit bit her lip as she looked back up at Cyrus. He had brought a trembling hand to his face, and he was trying to hold back his sobs. A wave of guilt stabbed its way through H'aanit's heart as his eyes found hers, and she hesitantly held out her arms for him. Cyrus slowly stepped towards her, and he fell into her embrace, burying his face into her shoulder as he started sobbing in earnest. The tears that H'aanit had been holding back broke free as she cried against his chest, her hands clutching his coat so hard that he knuckles were turning white. She didn't know how long they stood there clinging to each other, but when they finally pulled away, Cyrus' eyes were red and puffy, and she knew that hers probably looked the same.

"H'aanit," Cyrus said softly, his voice a bit hoarse, "I am so, so sorry. I was being incredibly selfish, and did not realize how my actions had affected you. Forgive me, my love. I promise to be more careful in the future."

H'aanit smiled softly and wiped away a few stray tears from his face. "I forgiven thee, though I muste apologize as well. My words were harsher than they should hath been, and I too have been careless. I know thou doest not wanten to looseth me just as much as I do not wanten to looseth you." Cyrus finally smiled back at her and he chuckled. The sound made H'aanit's heart swell with happiness.

"Ah, my dear, I fear that my rash decisions stem from the fact that words are not enough to properly express how much I love you." Cyrus said as he caressed H'aanit's cheek with the back of his hand. She grinned and leaned up so that their noses were touching.

"I can thinketh of some other ways to express thine feelings." H'aanit whispered, and Cyrus' response was muffled as H'aanit pressed her lips to his. She felt him smile, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His arms settled around her waist, and the kiss quickly turned heated as Cyrus shoved his tongue into her mouth.

H'aanit moaned deep in her throat, and an overwhelming desire was bubbling up within her. She realized then that just kissing Cyrus wasn't enough to show him the truest depths of her love for him. She wanted, no, _needed_ all of him. Now. She pulled away from him, and he looked down at her, his head tilted curiously.

"Cyrus," H'aanit said, her eyes locking with his. Cyrus' own went wide when they saw the fire blazing in her beautiful emerald eyes. "I needeth you to knowen exactly how much I loven thee."

"Oh?" he asked, his brow furrowing with confusion. H'aanit rolled her eyes. Gods, he really was dense. She licked her lips and pressed herself flush against him, and a dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks.

"Cyrus, I want you."

H'aanit watched with amusement as Cyrus blinked at her a few times, before his jaw dropped and his face flushed a bright red.

"I-You-That-Uh," he sputtered, and H'aanit couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. Cyrus cleared his throat and managed to compose himself.

"You...You want to...make love?" he asked slowly, and H'aanit nodded as she took his hands in hers.

"Aye. But only if thou ist ready. I do not wanten to pressure thee." H'aanit said, and she smirked when Cyrus quickly shook his head.

"It-It's not that I don't want to. I...very much do." Cyrus said, and H'aanit felt her cheeks heat up. "It's just...I've...never, er, made love before. I do not want my inexperience to, er, make you feel dissatisfied."

"Thou ist being silly." H'aanit said, shaking her head. "I am the same. I hath also never done it before."

"R-Really?"

"Aye. Did thou expect differently?"

"Um, indeed," Cyrus said, rubbing the back of his head, "You are just...so beautiful and strong and perfect, I thought that you would have had suitors lining up to be with you."

"I wast not interested in sharing myself with anyone beforen I fell in love with thee." H'aanit said, laughing as she wrapped her arms around him. He still looked a bit worried, so she gently rubbed her hands over his back, and she felt him relax slightly.

"We can learneth from each other." H'aanit said, as she brushed her nose against his. "Thou ist a scholar, and scholars enjoy learning new things, right?"

"Y-yes, of course." Cyrus said. H'aanit placed a light peck on his lips before leaning up to whisper in his ear.

"Then letten the lesson begin."

H'aanit pulled away so that she could stare deep into Cyrus' eyes, until he smiled and kissed her roughly, and she eagerly kissed him back. It was a different kind of kiss. Hungry, desperate, arousing. It made H'aanit excited for what was coming. As Cyrus reached around her to start untying her braid, H'aanit's hands went to the fastening of his coat, and she removed it and let it fall to the floor. Her next conquest was his vest, and after a few frustrating moments of struggling to undo the buttons, she pulled away from Cyrus and grumbled with annoyance.

"Having trouble, my dear?" Cyrus teased, chuckling as he removed his hands from her hair and helped her unbutton his vest.

"T'woundn't be a problem if thou did not wearen such complicated clothing." H'aanit said, tossing his vest aside when Cyrus finally shrugged out of it.

"I'm sorry, but I do try to look as presentable as possible, dear. A scholar of my position must always look the part."

"Aye, but 'tis annoying when I wanten to geten you naked." H'aanit smirked when Cyrus sputtered, and she untucked his shirt and slid her hands under and up against the bare skin of his chest. Cyrus shivered under her touch and tried to stifle a groan.

"You-You make a valid point." Cyrus said, and he lifted his arms up so that H'aanit could rid him of his shirt. He blushed as H'aanit's eyes wandered over his bare chest, hungry and predatory, like she was sizing up a beast before beginning a hunt. He gulped, and did not fail to notice how tight his pants were starting to become.

H'aanit had seen a bit of Cyrus' unclothed body when he wore his dancer outfit, but seeing his upper body completely uncovered floored her. He was so godsdamn attractive, in every possible way. She needed more. Wrapping her arms around him, her lips pressed up against his neck, and he shivered as she placed multiple kisses along his neck and collarbone.

"Oh, H'aanit…" Cyrus breathed, and his grip on her shoulders tightened as a low moan slipped out of him. Gods, even the sounds that he was making were incredibly arousing. H'aanit's lips curved into a smile against his skin, and she gently pushed against him, moving him backwards, until his legs hit the edge of one of the beds in the room. She continued to nudge him until he sat down on the bed, and H'aanit moved to straddle his lap, her arms snaking around his neck.

H'aanit's lips captured his again and Cyrus' hands settled on her thighs. She shivered as he slowly slid his hands upwards, until his fingers slipped under the hem of her dress. He paused and pulled away, seeming to hesitate.

"Er, may I?" he asked, his gaze shifting down to his hands. H'aanit giggled and nodded.

"Aye. Thou did not needeth to ask."

"Ah, right. I just, um, don't want to go to fast or do anything your uncomfortable with or-"

"Cyrus," H'aanit cut him off as she cupped his face with her hands, "thou needeth to relax. I will letten thee know if I am not comfortable with something. Rememberen, this ist new foren me as well." She rubbed his cheeks with her thumbs and he sighed, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"Very well." he said, and H'aanit smiled as she lifted her arms so that he could easily push her dress and underclothes up and over her head. After H'aanit tossed her clothes and scarf behind her to join the pile on the floor, she turned back to find that Cyrus' eyes were darting around the room, looking everywhere but at her bare chest in front of him. She snorted to try and stop herself from laughing, but failed, and she gripped Cyrus' shoulders to prevent herself from falling backwards.

"Cyrus, thou can looketh at me. My breasts will not turneth thee to stone." H'aanit teased, giggling when Cyrus' eyes met hers, his face beet red as he smiled sheepishly.

"I-I know that...Although, you're radiant beauty might just render me blind." Cyrus said, his voice dropping low, and it was H'aanit's turn to be flustered as she swallowed hard, a noticeable heat building up deep within her core. He finally turned his gaze to her bare upper body, and he smiled as he moved to nibble on her earlobe, before trailing kisses along her jawline. H'aanit's breath hitched when his teeth grazed over the skin on her neck that wasn't covered by her bandage, and she moaned loudly when Cyrus' hand's finally moved to her breasts, thumbs brushing over her hardened nipples.

"Ngh, Cyrus!" H'aanit groaned, arching into his touch. Her skin felt like it was on fire with every kiss and touch, and the pleasure that spread throughout her body was unlike anything she had felt before. Her hands moved to grip his back, and one moved up to tangle in his hair, removing the ribbon that held it in place in the process.

"Mmm, H'aanit, you are so beautiful," Cyrus purred, pausing his caresses to meet her gaze, his face flushed and his pupils blown out. Gods, he looked so godsdamn _hot_. "How are you feeling, my dear?"

"G-Great." H'aanit breathed, her hands grazing over his back as his hands settled on her thighs. He moved his face close to hers and placed a light kiss on her lips, and the uncharacteristically devious smile that crossed his face made her heart skip a beat.

"I am so glad to hear that." Cyrus whispered, and H'aanit moaned as his hands roamed over her thighs, and his thumbs brushed at the inner part, dangerously close to the sensitive heat that had been steadily building between her legs.

"Ngh...tease." H'aanit manage to squeak out between moans.

"Oh darling, I would _never_ dream of teasing you."

H'aanit's eyes narrowed when she saw the mischievous glint in Cyrus' eyes, but she suddenly smirked and ground her hips down against his crotch, rubbing her own against his very obvious erection. He cried out in some combination of a yelp and a moan, and H'aanit laughed.

"Ist thou finished with thine teasing ways?" H'aanit growled, and Cyrus chuckled when he recovered from the shock.

"My, my, it appears that you have bested me, my dear. No more teasing, then." Cyrus said, his voice dropping to a whisper as he tugged at the band of her pants. H'aanit gulped, a wave arousal coursing through her as she stood up and quickly removed her boots and pants, now fully naked for the first time in front of the man that she loved.

"My gods, you are too radiant, H'aanit." Cyrus said, smiling as he pulled her back onto his lap. "I am truly the luckiest man in the world." H'aanit didn't get a chance to respond, for her words only came out as a strangled groan as Cyrus' hand fell between her legs, stroking one of the most sensitive parts of her. She clung to his back as a pleasure she had never felt before started building up within her. He moved his fingers gently, her wetness coating them and making it easier for him caress her.

"Tell me where it feels the best, darling." Cyrus whispered in her ear, and she moaned as he continued to explore her tender flesh. H'aanit panted, feeling elated with every touch, but when his fingers finally grazed over her clit, she cried out at the shock of pleasure that shot through her core.

"There?" Cyrus asked, and H'aanit nodded quickly, her fingers digging into Cyrus' back. He chuckled and gently rubbed the sensitive nerves, and his lips moved to her breasts. He took one nipple into his mouth and his free hand caressed the other, and H'aanit's mind went fuzzy with the overwhelming stimulation. She was reduced to a moaning, whining mess, and it was pure ecstasy. But, there was a problem.

"C-Cyrus?" H'aanit breathed, and he immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at her, his brow furrowing with concern.

"Are you alright?"

"Aye," she said, smiling softly, "but I, ah, wanten to maketh you feel good too." H'aanit giggled when Cyrus stared at her for a moment, before smiling bashfully and averting his gaze.

"Ah yes, I suppose that would be essential in leading up to, ahem, proper love-making." Cyrus said, and H'aanit smirked as she rolled off of his lap and sat on the bed. Cyrus kicked off his boots and threw his legs onto the bed, and H'aanit moved so that she was on her hands and knees over him, and Cyrus' face flushed a bright red.

Her lips met his in a heated kiss, while her hands moved to pull down his pants and underwear, finally freeing Cyrus' erect dick from the constricting fabric. H'aanit broke the kiss and fell back onto her knees, pulling the rest of Cyrus' clothes off and tossing them to the floor. She then found herself staring at his dick, the very first dick that she had ever seen. She hadn't really known what to expect, as she had never been with a man like this before, but the thought of having Cyrus' dick inside of her made her feel a weird mixture of unease and excitement.

"Er, is everything okay, H'aanit?" Cyrus asked, giving H'aanit a quizzical look. She blinked as she turned to look at him, and she smiled and nodded.

"Aye. Just admiring the view." she said, and Cyrus' face flushed as he averted his gaze.

"That's incredibly embarrass-Ngh!" Cyrus' words were cut off by his strangled groan as H'aanit wrapped her hand around the shaft of his dick, her thumb gently rubbing over the sensitive head.

"Oh, g-gods…" Cyrus groaned, his hands gripping the sheets below him tightly.

"Ist that good?"

"Y-yes."

H'aanit smiled and slowly started moving her hand up and down the shaft of his dick, her thumb stroking the head rhythmically. Cyrus' moans and panting filled the room, and H'aanit was so turned on by his reactions. The pressure in her core was getting tighter as she stroked him faster, and she moaned herself as her hand tightened reflexively around Cyrus' dick. He yelped and she quickly let go, gasping when she realized what she had done.

"S-Sorry!" H'aanit said, covering her face, embarrassed. She heard Cyrus laugh, and she felt him grab her hands and pull them away from her face.

"It's alright, my dear. I, ah, think I'm ready to proceed now anyway. Erm, if you are, that is." Cyrus said, as he gently caressed H'aanit's face. She nodded eagerly, and they both laughed as she fell onto her back, with Cyrus looming over her.

"Cyrus?" H'aanit said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yes?" Cyrus asked, pausing when his dick was positioned at her entrance.

"I love you."

"I love you too, H'aanit." Cyrus said, leaning down to kiss her tenderly. He pulled away, and he took her hand in his free one, their fingers entwining together. His other hand assisted in slowly guiding his dick into her, penetrating up to the head.

"Ngh!" H'aanit groaned when he finally pushed inside of her. It was a bit uncomfortable at first, as her muscles moved to adjust to the foreign presence. She was very wet with her arousal though, so luckily it wasn't painful at all.

"Are you alright, H'aanit?" Cyrus asked, a look of concern crossing his face.

"A-Aye. Just...starten out slow." she said, giving Cyrus' hand a squeeze. He nodded and squeezed back, before gently pushing further inside of her. When he was halfway in, he pulled back out and pushed in again, and H'aanit moaned as the uncomfortable feeling was replaced with incredible pleasure. Cyrus repeated this a few times, until he had pushed himself fully inside of her.

"Hng...Oh H'aanit, you feel so...wonderful." Cyrus moaned, his breathing heavy and eyes hazy as he gazed into her own.

"Cyrus...move." H'aanit begged, her arms wrapping around his back and her hands clinging tightly to him. He nodded and began thrusting into her in a slow, steady rhythm. The room was filled with only the sounds of skin hitting skin and the two lovers moaning each other's names. H'aanit wrapped her arms around Cyrus, her nails digging hard into his back as she writhed with pleasure beneath him. Cyrus' breath hitched and he arched his back as he suddenly thrust hard into her.

"C-Cyrus, I did not hurten thee, did I?" H'aanit asked, quickly removing her hands from his back. He gulped and shook his head.

"On the contrary...I, ah, rather enjoyed that particular sensation." Cyrus said, "You are free to keep that up, my dear." H'aanit blinked at him, but didn't get to ponder it further as Cyrus began thrusting into her again, causing H'aanit to throw her head back onto the bed with an elated cry.

"Ah, Cyrus…" H'aanit moaned, as she began rocking her hips in time with Cyrus' thrusts, "Harder, faster, please!" He happily obliged with her request, and he pounded into her as fast as he could. H'aanit wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him even deeper inside of her, and her mind started going hazy with the amount of pleasure she was feeling.

Cyrus' lips suddenly captured hers in a heated kiss, and his thrusts became erratic. H'aanit tightened her grip around him, and he moaned as he pulled away.

"H'aanit, I think I'm-" he began, but he was interrupted when H'aanit suddenly cried out, her muscles spasming as her orgasm wracked through her entire body. Cyrus hissed as he continued thrusting, wanting to help H'aanit ride out her orgasm as long as possible, but soon the contracting muscles around his dick became too much, and he moaned loudly as he gave in to his own overwhelming pleasure. He thrust in one last time before he released inside of her.

H'aanit panted as she lay on her back, her mind hazy as she reveled in her post-orgasmic state. She blinked slowly, and she felt Cyrus slide out of her, and he rolled off to the side of her with a groan. They both lay silently next to each other for a few moments, catching their breaths, before H'aanit smiled and rolled over to lay her head on Cyrus' chest.

"Mmm, Cyrus, that t'was...amazing." she said, gazing up at his flushed face with eyes sparkling with adoration.

"I...wow." was all that came out of Cyrus' mouth as he continued to stare at the ceiling, and H'aanit couldn't hold back her giggling.

"Thou ist speechless? I hath never thought I woulde seeth the day." H'aanit teased, running languid fingers over his chest. Cyrus was silent for a few more moments, before he finally snapped back to reality.

"Gods, H'aanit, that was...much, much more pleasurable than I could have ever imagined." he said, smiling as he gently caressed her cheek. "Thank you, for sharing yourself with me. I feel like I've somehow fallen even more in love with you, and I did not think that even possible."

"Aye, 'tis the same foren me. I love you, Cyrus."

"I love you too, H'aanit."

They lay in each other's embrace for a while, until they decided that they needed to prove their love again, and again. In that small room in the inn, it felt like they were the only two people in the world, and they were both very okay with that.

* * *

"Man, I'm beat! Can't wait to fall into bed and get a good night's rest!"

"I agree. It's always exhausting dealing with the drinking contest aftermath."

Primrose chuckled and nodded in agreement as she listened to Tressa and Ophilia chatter away. They had just finished depositing the drunken men back into their room, and she was looking forward to getting cozy in her own bed.

"I wonder where H'aanit and Cyrus ended up...Huh?" Tressa started, but she stopped when the trio came upon a curious site.

Primrose paused at the end of the hallway, where their room was, to find Linde sprawled out in front of the door. The snow leopard turned to look at them, and she meowed as she stood up, blocking the women from getting to the door.

"Uh, Linde, this is our room. Let us in!" Tressa said. When she tried to step around Linde, she growled and moved to continue blocking her path.

"How curious." Ophilia said as she tilted her head. Primrose raised and eyebrow, her gaze moving from Linde to the door, and she grinned when she finally understood.

"Oh, so that's how it is. It's about damn time." Primrose said, chuckling as she turned to Ophilia. "Ophilia, do go down and see if the innkeeper has any more available rooms."

"What?" Tressa interjected, a pout crossing her face, "We have a perfectly good room here! Why do we need another one?"

"Well, my dear Tressa," Primrose said, "I fear that it is... _occupied_. By H'aanit and Cyrus." Ophilia suddenly flushed a bright red and hurried away, mumbling something about getting that new room as soon as she could.

"Okay," Tressa said, her eyebrows furrowing with confusion, "so we go and tell them that it's time for bed. There's a bed for Cyrus in the guy's room."

"You are so innocent." Primrose said, giggling and patting Tressa's shoulder as she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "I fear that what those two are doing will take all night. And I guarantee that you will not want to interrupt them."

Tressa stared at Primrose, her face scrunched up as she tried to figure out what she was talking about. The dancer sighed and leaned over, whispering in the younger woman's ear. Tressa blinked a few times, before her eyes widened as a mortified look crossed her face.

"Oh, OH!" Tressa exclaimed, "Ugh, I didn't need to know that, Prim! Gods, how will I look at them with a straight face now?"

"I'm sure it will be fine. Let's go see if Ophilia had any luck, shall we?"

Tressa nodded and quickly headed back down the hall after Ophilia. Primrose chuckled and turned to Linde, who was sitting on her haunches in front of the door.

"Good girl, Linde. Do continue to make sure that those two lovebirds are not interrupted, okay?" Primrose said as she gently pet Linde's head. She purred happily and lay back down on the floor. Primrose smiled and walked back the way she came, greatly anticipating the teasing she was going to give a certain couple in the morning.

* * *

H'aanit sighed deeply as she was slowly pulled from her deep slumber. The room was bathed in daylight, and usually H'aanit was eager to get out of bed early and get on with her day. Today was different, however, because instead of waking up alone in her bed, she was holding the person that she loved the most in her arms.

Cyrus' back was pressed up against her, and her arms were wrapped around him, one drawn across his chest, while her other hand was grasping his. Their legs tangled together under the sheets, and H'aanit smiled as she nuzzled Cyrus' head, letting his loose hair tickle her face. She could get used to waking up like this.

"Mmmm," H'aanit smiled when Cyrus stirred, groaning as he shifted in her arms. She placed a tender kiss on his shoulder, and Cyrus turned onto his back as he reached up to cup H'aanit's face.

"Ah, my love, waking up to your smiling face is a gift from the gods themselves." Cyrus whispered, and H'aanit giggled as she ran her hand through his hair.

"So ist waking up with thee in my arms." she said, and Cyrus sighed dreamily.

"Indeed. There is certainly no place that I would rather be."

H'aanit's heart swelled with happiness. She never dreamed that she'd ever love someone as much as she loved Cyrus, but here they were, waking up next to each other, bodies sore for all of the right reasons, after a long night of affirming their love for each other.

"I love you." H'aanit said, kissing Cyrus tenderly.

"I love you too. I know we said those words many, many times last night," he said, and H'aanit felt her face heat up, "but I will continue to say them to you until the end of my days."

"Cyrus…" H'aanit breathed, smiling as their lips came together again, and a familiar heat began building up inside of her as she wrapped her arms around Cyrus.

"H'aanit! Cyrus!"

A sudden banging on the door made the two lovers jump in surprise, and two sets of eyes moved to look at the door.

"If you two are not dressed and out here in two minutes, I'm getting Therion to pick the lock!" It was Primrose's voice, and H'aanit paled when a realization hit her.

"I...I wast supposed to sharen this room with the other women last night!" H'aanit said, her jaw dropping as a mortified look crossed her face. Cyrus had flushed a bright red, and they were both stunned into silence.

"You have a minute and a half!"

H'aanit and Cyrus scrambled out of bed, hastily grabbing for their clothes and throwing them on haphazardly. A minute passed, and the two made it to the door and opened it, to find Primrose standing there with a shit-eating grin on her face.

"Good morning, you two." she said, an eyebrow raising, "Or, rather, afternoon."

H'aanit gulped. They had slept past noon? Oh gods, how unlike her. She shifted nervously under Primrose's gaze, and the dancer giggled as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"So, it looks like you two had fun last night." Primrose said, craning her neck in an odd manner. H'aanit and Cyrus shared a confused glance, and H'aanit cringed when she saw what Primrose was talking about. Cyrus looked absolutely disheveled. His shirt was partially untucked, and his vest was buttoned unevenly. His hair was sticking up every which way, and to H'aanit's horror, he had red blotches covering his neck, an obvious giveaway to their activities of the previous night.

H'aanit's hands immediately flew to her own neck; hers probably looked just as bad as his. Cyrus was blushing furiously, probably because of how disheveled she looked. She quickly covered her neck with her scarf, and Cyrus did the same with his coat.

"Oh, please, you two have nothing to be embarrassed about. This was a long, long time coming after all. I was worried you two would never, ahem, consummate your love." Primrose said, and H'aanit covered her face with her hands.

"P-Please, Primrose," Cyrus said, rubbing the back of his head and averting his gaze, "Do you really have to tease us like this?"

"Of course I do. You two make it far too easy." Primrose laughed when H'aanit glared at her, and Cyrus finally laughed and shook his head.

"I shouldn't have expected any less, really." he said, and a loud meow interrupted their conversation as Linde came trotting up to them.

"Ah, yes. Linde here is a very good partner, H'aanit. She kept everyone away from your room so as not to disturb your...important activities."

"Oh, gods…" Cyrus groaned, slapping a hand to his face. "I'm...going to get something to eat. H'aanit, dear, would you like me to get you something as well?"

"Aye." H'aanit said, and she chuckled as Cyrus quickly escaped from Primrose's relentless teasing session. H'aanit reached down to pet Linde, and when she looked back up at Primrose, the dancer had a genuine smile on her face.

"H'aanit, you are absolutely glowing." she said, and H'aanit felt her face heat up, "All teasing aside, I am very happy for you both. It is easy for anyone to see just how much you love each other." H'aanit couldn't help but smile bashfully.

"Thanke thee, Primrose. I do loven Cyrus. I hath to admit, if someone had toldeth me that I woulde hath ended up as Cyrus' lover when we first met, I would hath laughed in their face. But now, I would not tradeth him for anything."

"I was quite surprised as well, when you two first started pining for each other," Primrose said with a laugh, "I think you two are a wonderful pair. You cover his weaknesses well, and he covers yours."

"Really?"

"You've got the common sense, and he has the obscene bank of knowledge. Although," Primrose paused as she winked at H'aanit, "Both of you are rather horrid dancers. Be sure to avoid any trouble that requires that skill in the future." H'aanit laughed as she and Primrose headed down the hall to regroup with their companions.

"I wist keepen that in mind."

* * *

And thus, the journey of the eight travelers had come to a close. With H'aanit's home being the closest, the group of stalwart companions made their way to S'warkii, to enjoy a week of rest and relaxation, along with more of Z'aanta's crazy stories and drinking contests.

Tressa was the first to leave town, eager to get back to Rippletide to reunite with her parents. Therion went with her, claiming that the only reason he was doing so was to keep Tressa safe on her journey home, but everyone knew the real reason that he was too embarrassed to say aloud. Alfyn and Primrose were next to depart, making their way to Clearbrook first before ultimately ending up in Noblecourt.

The day that Cyrus had been dreading was upon him all too soon: the day that he, Olberic, and Ophilia had to depart for their own destinations. He needed to get back to the academy to help deal with the chaos surrounding the death of Yvon, he knew this very well. The problem lie in the fact that H'aanit was not going with him. He knew that she had missed S'warkii and the Woodlands greatly during their travels, and she had told him that she was itching to go hunting with Z'aanta again. He did understand why she was staying, but it still made him sad.

"Did thou packeth everything?" H'aanit asked as she fastened his coat for him. They were standing at the edge of town, on the road leading to the Frostlands. Ophilia and Olberic had gone on ahead to give them privacy to say goodbye.

"Ah, yes, I double and triple checked my belongings." Cyrus said, patting his travel pack that was slung over his shoulder. H'aanit smiled, but Cyrus saw the sadness in her eyes, and he took her hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Do not be sad, my love. We will see each other again soon." Cyrus said, trying to hide his own sadness. H'aanit's eyes met his and she nodded, reaching up to cup his face.

"Aye, I know. I just...loveth thee so much. T'will be hard to be away foren any amount of time."

"I...know what you mean." Cyrus said, reaching up to run his thumb over her cheek. He thought for a moment, and an idea came to him. He unfastened his coat and wrapped it around H'aanit, causing her to blink in surprise.

"Whaten is this?" H'aanit asked, tilting her head, and Cyrus couldn't help but think that she looked adorable.

"Keep it. You can return it to me when we meet again. So, do not stay away for too long, the coming months will be quite chilly without my coat." Cyrus said, and H'aanit giggled.

"Then here, this will keepeth thee warm." H'aanit said, and she removed her fur scarf and draped it over his shoulders. "You do the same foren me." Cyrus lifted a hand and brushed his fingers over the soft fur, adoration swelling up inside of him as he wrapped his arms around H'aanit, pulling her into a tight, loving embrace.

"I most certainly will, my dear." Cyrus said, fighting back tears as he tightened his grip on her. He heard H'aanit sniff, and he pulled away slightly to look down at her tear stained face.

"Do not cry, love, it...we will see each other soon."

"...Thou ist crying too." H'aanit said, and they both laughed and tears continued to fall down both of their cheeks. Cyrus hugged her again, burying his face into her shoulder.

"I love you, H'aanit. Every second of every day that we are apart, I will be thinking of you." Cyrus whispered in her ear, and H'aanit made a noise that was something between a sob and a laugh.

"Aye, t'will be the same foren me." she said, pulling away to gaze into his eyes. They closed the distance between them and their lips met in a tender, deep kiss. It would be their last for a while, and it was one that tasted of tears, but they knew that they would have many, many more kisses waiting for them in the future.

They pulled away from each other all too soon, and Cyrus cleared his throat as he wiped the tears from his face, and H'aanit did the same.

"Well, I shouldn't keep our friends waiting any longer." Cyrus said, taking H'aanit's hand in his and placing a kiss on her knuckles. "Be safe, H'aanit. I love you, always and forever."

"I love you too, Cyrus. Haveth a safe journey home." H'aanit said, her hand slipping from his as he turned and headed down the road. He paused before the bend in the path and turned, waving at H'aanit one last time before heading off. He imprinted the image of her standing tall and proud, with her beautiful hair flowing around her and his coat draped over her shoulders, into his mind before meeting up with Olberic and Ophilia. It would be a hard time without her, but their love was strong, and even the gods themselves would not be able to keep Cyrus away from H'aanit forever.


	12. The Scholar and The Huntress

"Good morning everyone!"

"Good morning, Professor Albright."

Cyrus walked into his classroom, adjusting his grip on the pile of books in his hands as he gazed around at the tired faces of his students. He chuckled and shook his head when a couple of them yawned, and a few others had to be nudged awake by their neighbors. It seems that he would have to put together a special lecture on the importance of getting a good night's sleep. He moved to the front of the room and climbed onto the stage, setting his books down on the podium.

"All right class, please turn to page 374 in your history texts. Today we will be continuing our lecture series on the regions of Orsterra, with the eighth and final region, the Woodlands." Cyrus said, and he paused as the sound of flipping pages filled the room. He normally would be excited to educate his students on the dangerous beasts of the region, or the masterful hunters that were descended from an ancient clan, but he found that his heart was heavy. The cause of his inner turmoil was the simple fact that he missed H'aanit. Terribly.

"Now then, the Woodlands are, as the name implies, nestled in the midst of a large forest. Many dangerous beasts…" Cyrus began, turning to write on the chalkboard as he auto piloted his lecture and let his mind wander. It had been four months almost to the day since he left S'warkii to return to Atlasdam, and not a day went by where he did not think of the love of his life.

Cyrus had only received one letter from H'aanit since they parted, telling him that she and Z'aanta were departing on a hunting trip to the Highlands. He knew that he had no reason to worry about her; she was the strongest person that he knew, and she had Linde and Z'aanta with her. He more so just...missed her. He missed her radiant smile that would like up an entire room, her beautiful laugh that was the sweetest of melodies, the secure feeling of her strong arms wrapped around him, the intoxicating taste of her lips…

"Er, Professor?" Cyrus was snapped out of her thoughts and he looked to find his students staring at him oddly, while some of them were trying to suppress giggles.

"Oh, yes Dominic?"

"You've been writing the same sentence over and over."

Cyrus blinked as he turned to look at the board, and his face flushed with embarrassment as the laughter of his students erupted behind him. The sentence "The Woodlands consist of three major villages." was indeed written five times in a row. Cyrus cleared his throat and hastily erased four of them.

"Ah, I am terribly sorry. I find myself a bit...distracted today." Cyrus said when he turned back around, and one student giggled and twirled a finger in her hair.

"Professor...were you daydreaming about the person who gave you that scarf you're always wearing?" she asked, raising a curious eyebrow. The rest of the students stared at him, waiting with bated breath for him to answer. Cyrus averted his gaze and shuffled back and forth on his feet, one hand moving up to brush against the soft fur of the scarf in question.

"W-Well, you are not wrong, Ingrid." Cyrus said, and a couple of girls in the class gasped and whispered excitedly amongst themselves. "But, ahem, this is not the time to be discussing that. Let us resume with the lesson." Many students let out annoyed groans, but they did fall quiet and Cyrus continued his teaching, trying harder to keep himself focused.

"Victor's Hollow is quite famous for its arena, where warriors from all over Orsterra compete to find out who is the strongest. I myself was lucky enough to witness-" Cyrus paused mid sentence as he scanned his students. He saw that Therese was looking out of the window with wide eyes. How curious.

"Therese, is something the matter?" Cyrus asked. Therese gasped and looked back at him, looking frantically between her classmates, who were all staring at her.

"Oh, uh, well Professor, it's just…" Therese mumbled, and Cyrus' brows furrowed with confusion.

"Professor." Cyrus looked to the spot next to Therese where Princess Mary sat, "I think Therese is feeling a bit under the weather. May I escort her outside for some fresh air?"

"Ah yes, please do, Your Highness. But hurry back if you can. This lecture's material will be on your midterm examinations." Cyrus said, and he watched as Mary grabbed Therese by the arm and practically dragged her out of the room. Cyrus turned back to his lecturing, hoping that whatever sickness Therese had was not contagious. He most certainly did not want an epidemic plaguing his classroom. There was too much that his students still needed to learn, and they could not afford to take days off.

A few minutes went by, and as Cyrus was writing on the board, he considered sending someone to check up on Therese and Mary, but he suddenly heard loud gasps coming from his students, and he turned to see what the commotion was about.

"What is-" Cyrus began, but he was cut off when something large barreled into him, sending him crashing to the floor onto his back. Dazed, he tried to push himself up, but suddenly something wet and scratchy scraped over his face.

"What in Aelfric's name...?" Cyrus wondered aloud, wiping his face when his assailant pulled away. He lowered his hand, and his jaw dropped in shock. He could not believe his eyes.

"Linde?!"

The snow leopard meowed and sat on her haunches in front of him, her yellow eyes sparkling as she gazed at him. Cyrus blinked at her a few times, and he had to rub at his eyes, because he was not certain that he wasn't hallucinating at this very moment. He shook his head and reached out with a shaky hand, petting her head, and Linde purred loudly and nuzzled him back.

"I-If you are here, then that must mean…"

"Linde! Thou muste not runneth off on me!"

Cyrus' heart leapt into his throat as the most beautiful voice in the world hit his ears, and he turned his gaze to the door, his eyes welling up with tears of happiness. H'aanit stood in the doorway, awkwardly eyeing the students who were staring at her. She turned her attention to Linde, and when her eyes finally met his, the smile that crossed her face almost caused Cyrus to have an aneurysm right then and there.

Scrambling to his feet, Cyrus almost tripped over Linde as he rushed off the stage, and he actually tripped on the stairs and tumbled to his knees. He barely heard the amused laughter of his students as he jumped back to his feet and sprinted to the back of the room, barreling right into H'aanit and lifting her into his arms with surprising strength. H'aanit yelped in surprise, placing her hands on Cyrus' shoulders and wrapping her legs around his torso to keep herself from tumbling backwards as he spun her around excitedly.

"Oh, H'aanit! Is it really you?" Cyrus said, laughing as the happy tears he had been trying to hold back finally spilled down his face. H'aanit giggled and pressed her forehead against his as she wiped his tears away with her thumbs.

"Aye, of course 'tis me." she said, and before she could say more, Cyrus pressed his lips to hers, kissing H'aanit tenderly. He felt her smile and she wrapped her arms around him, her hands moving to the back of his head as she deepened the kiss. Cyrus' felt like he was in a daze. The last thing he expected to be doing today was holding the love of his life in his arms, after far too long a time apart. It was truly a miracle granted by the gods.

"Gods, Professor! Get a room!"

"Aww, they are SO cute!"

"Wow, she's super lucky that she's managed to get with someone as handsome as the professor!"

"SHE'S lucky? He's the lucky one! Just look at her arms!"

"Man, she could bust a tree in half with one punch, I bet…"

"...Do you think she'd step on me if I asked?"

The chattering around him reminded Cyrus that he was inappropriately kissing his lover in a room full of his students. He quickly pulled away from H'aanit and set her back on her feet, his face flushed a bright red as he cleared his throat. H'aanit's face turned a similar shade, and she dropped her gaze to the floor, embarrassed.

"Ahem, yes...well, a-apologies, students. How very unprofessional of me." Cyrus said, swallowing thickly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hehe, it's okay, Professor. We certainly don't blame you." Therese said, giggling as she exchanged a mischievous look with Mary as they walked in through the door.

"Anyway, surprise! H'aanit arrived earlier than expected, so I had to lie to you about Therese feeling sick so that we could go out and greet her. Sorry about that." Mary said. Cyrus stared at her with wide eyes, and then he chuckled.

"Well, this is most certainly a surprise! I did not expect you two to be plotting behind my back with my darling H'aanit." Cyrus said, his hand slipping into H'aanit's, their fingers entwining automatically. "Is that why I did not get many letters from you, my dear?"

"Aye. I ended up sending most of my letters to Therese." H'aanit said. "I didst not wanten to risk the letters getting mixed up and spoiling the surprise."

"Ah, but of course. A brilliantly executed plan, dearest." Cyrus said, chuckling. He then looked about the room to find his students crowded around Linde, petting her and chattering away about the large cat that had suddenly appeared in their midst.

"Oh dear...I do not think that I will be finishing today's lecture…" Cyrus mumbled, sighing as he shook his head.

"Oh, it'll be fine, Professor." Mary said, a sweet smile crossing her face. "We can watch over Linde for a while, if you and H'aanit want to go and spend some time together." Therese winked at Cyrus and the two girls dissolved into giggles when he sputtered with embarrassment.

"W-Well, all right, if that is okay with you, my dear?" Cyrus said, and H'aanit chuckled as she nodded.

"Aye. Linde can taketh care of herself. She wilst enjoy the attention methinks."

"Very well. Students!" Cyrus said, catching the attention of everyone in the room for a brief moment, "I will be ending today's lecture now. Please be ready to resume our discussion of the Woodlands during our next class period. My dear H'aanit here is actually from S'warkii, so I may be able to convince her to give a guest lecture at some point." The students buzzed with excitement at the possibility, before Linde recaptured their attention by meowing loudly. Cyrus turned to look at H'aanit, who was pouting at him.

"Cyrus, I told thee beforen that teaching ist not foren me…" H'aanit mumbled, and her pout deepened when Cyrus laughed, pulling her into his arms.

"Oh my dear, I do not think one little guest lecture will kill you. I do believe my students could learn a lot from you." Cyrus said, lifting a hand to brush H'aanit's neck with his fingers. She shivered under his touch, a dusting of pink appearing on her cheeks.

"I guesseth I could try it…" H'aanit said, a sly smile crossing her face, "But only because the most handsome man in Orsterra asked me to." She laughed when Cyrus' eyes widened and he averted his gaze while rubbing at his neck.

"Oh dear...you are too adorable, H'aanit. I do not know what to do with you sometimes…"

"I can...think of something." H'aanit said, grinning as she leaned up towards Cyrus, and he bent over to meet her.

"Professor~"

Cyrus jerked back and looked up to find Therese and Mary looking at him, the former letting out an exasperated sigh while the latter giggled and shook her head. Cyrus laughed sheepishly and tugged on H'aanit's hand, pulling her out of the classroom and into the hallway.

"Gods, there we go again with our public displays of affection...Some things never change, do they, my dear?" Cyrus said, chuckling as he brought H'aanit's hand to his lips, placing a light kiss on her knuckles.

"Aye, that seemeth to be the case." H'aanit said. Laughter filled the hallway as Cyrus led H'aanit to his office and she stepped inside and looked around. It was unsurprisingly lined wall-to-wall with overflowing bookshelves, and the desk sitting in the middle of the room was also stacked with various tomes. A couch was pushed up against the front of the desk, blankets and pillows piled on it haphazardly.

"Ah, I apologize for the mess," Cyrus said as he closed the door behind him, "Had I known you were coming ahead of time, I would have-" Cyrus was suddenly cut off when H'aanit turned around and shoved him backwards, pinning his wrists to the door as she pressed her lips against his, kissing him roughly. Cyrus' surprised noise was muffled, and he smiled against H'aanit's lips, his eyes slipping shut as he gave himself over to the intoxicating taste of her kiss. His hands clenched into fists, and H'aanit released her hold on his wrists, allowing Cyrus to slip a hand to the back of her neck, his fingers resting in the loose hair at the back of her head. His other hand went to her waist, and he pulled her flush up against him, relishing in the contact after such a long, long time apart.

When H'aanit finally pulled away so that they both could catch their breaths, Cyrus pressed his forehead against hers. Her breathtakingly beautiful emerald eyes gazed deep within his darker ones, and he was reminded once again that he loved and was loved in return by the most beautiful woman in the world.

"H'aanit…" Cyrus said, a hand moving to cup her face. She smiled and leaned into his touch, her gaze never leaving his, and he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb, like it was made of the most breakable glass. "I...missed you so, so much, my love. Having you back in my arms fills me with an overwhelming amount of joy. Gods, I had almost forgotten what it was like to be this happy." H'aanit giggled and nuzzled her nose against his as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thou ist so dramatic...but I woulde be lying if I said that I didst not feelen the same." she said, placing a quick, tender kiss on his lips. "Being apart from thee, it felt like theren wast a hole in my heart. I felt...incomplete without thee by my side."

"Ha! And you called me dramatic!" Cyrus said, laughing as H'aanit playfully swatted him on the arm. Her laughter joined his, and when it died down, H'aanit was staring at Cyrus, a very different look in her eyes as a sly smile crossed her face, and Cyrus felt his face heat up.

"Ist thou...free foren the rest of the day?" she asked, dragging her hands over his chest. Cyrus swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Ah, yes. I only had one class to teach today, as I needed the afternoon to catch up on some grading…" Cyrus said, and H'aanit raised an eyebrow at him as she pressed herself flush against him again. "B-But, ah, I think I can put it off for another day or two, if you have something more...interesting in mind." His voice dropped to a low whisper, and he smiled when H'aanit noticeably shivered against him before she brought her lips to his ear.

"Aye, we hath a lot of catching up to do." H'aanit said, she yelped in surprise when Cyrus suddenly swept her off of her feet and into his arms, quickly crossing the room to the couch.

"Well," he said, leaning over to steal a kiss from her lips, "we had better get started right away then." H'aanit giggled as they tumbled onto the couch together, and they spent the rest of the day (and night, and most of the following day) showing each other exactly how much they loved and missed one another.

* * *

"Are you sure this is what you want, my dear?"

"Aye, of course it is."

Cyrus turned his attention from the rising sun to gaze at H'aanit, who looked absolutely radiant in the light of the dawn. They were standing at the railing just outside of the Royal Academy, looking out upon Atlasdam as the townspeople began stirring for the day. Linde was sprawled out at their feet, and Cyrus chuckled as he took a sip of his tea. This had been their morning ritual for the week that H'aanit had been here, and Cyrus had finally managed to ask her what her long term plans were in regards to their relationship. To his surprise, she had informed him that she planned to stay in Atlasdam with him. Cyrus was extremely happy about this, of course, but he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, as she was choosing him over her home of the Woodlands.

"It's just...I know how much you adore the Woodlands. And Z'aanta is there as well…" Cyrus said, and H'aanit sighed and rolled her eyes.

"'Tis not like I wilst never seeth him again." she said, slipping her arm behind Cyrus' back and pulling him closer to her. "I wast going to propose us living in S'warkii during the months when the academy ist on break."

"Oh, I do like that idea. I find myself missing traveling after our long journey had come to an end. And just think of all the wildlife I could study! Plus, Duskbarrow is not far and many of the ruins there still have not been explored in full…" Cyrus said, his words coming out as mumbles as he rambled on. H'aanit laughed and leaned up, kissing Cyrus to stop his excited muttering. He blinked a few times and a sheepish smile crossed his face.

"Oh dear...I was blabbering on again, wasn't I?"

"Indeed. But thou always looks so endearing whilst doing so." H'aanit said, smiling as she rest her head on his shoulder. His arm fell across her back, and he let out a content sigh.

"I love you so much, my dear H'aanit. I cannot wait to see what life has in store for us. I feel like I could conquer any of life's obstacles with you at my side." he said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I love you too Cyrus. And I feelen the same. You bringeth out a strength in me that I did not knoweth that I had." H'aanit said. She turned to face him, setting her teacup down so that she could cup his face with her hands and rest her forehead against his. "Please, stayeth by my side, forevermore?" Cyrus smiled and nodded as he pulled her into a loving embrace.

"Of course, my darling. Forever and always." he whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead. A loud meow from below caught Cyrus and H'aanit's attention, and they both looked down to find Linde staring at them. H'aanit chuckled and reached down to pet her head.

"And Linde wilst be with us to the end as well." Linde purred in response, her tail swishing behind her. Cyrus nodded and scratched the snow leopard under her chin.

"Indeed. Who would get us out of trouble otherwise?"

The two lovers shared a look, and their laughter rang throughout the courtyard. Adoration sparkled in Cyrus' eyes as he looked upon the love of his life. To think that a scholar and a huntress as different as night and day would manage to fall so deeply in love with each other, both looking forward to living a happy, fulfilling life together. And they wouldn't change a thing.

* * *

Exactly one year after posting the first chapter of this dumb thing, I finally finished this fic! I want to thank everyone who left reviews and favs, and those who just read my self-indulgent rare pair nonsense lol I really do appreciate it 3 I've still got some one-shot ideas for these two, so I'll still be flooding the Octopath category with my silly Cyrus/H'aanit fluff lmao Anyway, thanks again for reading!


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